SourceThe Oregon Queer Youth Conference will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Middle School at Catlin Gabel, 8825 SW Barnes Road, in Portland. Conference leaders invite lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning and intersex youth (age 23 and under) and their allies. Workshops and guest speaker Oregon state representative Tina Kotek will be featured. Admission is free, with complementary breakfast and lunch for attendees. OQYC is planned, organized, and run by a team of youth volunteers and is sponsored by Catlin Gabel School. Attendees are encouraged to pre-register at the Web site,
www.OQYC.org. Registration starts on-site at 9 a.m. Workshops will focus on issues such as big tobacco's targeting of queer youth, the increasing risk of HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted infections, and how to deal with bias in schools and everyday life. OQYC provides young people with the chance to talk together in a safe environment free of social pressures.
