Text of TX HR 1439 (2025)

89R34203 TBO-D By: Bucy H.R. No. 1439 R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, OutYouth in Austin is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2025; and WHEREAS, A nonprofit dedicated to supporting young people in the LGBTQIA+ community, OutYouth was founded in April 1990 by Lisa Rogers and Jay Erwin-Grotsky, who sought to provide area youth with a safe place to meet peers with similar experiences and to share their personal stories; the organization initially operated out of living rooms and libraries, and after quickly outgrowing those spaces, it was housed in the University YWCA and later in the Metropolitan Community Church at Austin's LGBT Community Center; by the end of its first decade, the organization had moved to its current location, the Little Blue Bungalow house in North Central Austin; and WHEREAS, Over the years, OutYouth has served more than 40,000 young people along with their families, friends, and trusted adults; the organization has established a number of beneficial programs, such as the nation's first toll-free suicide hotline for LGBTQIA+ youth as well as the Jerry Strickland Jr. Memorial Library, which has grown to become one of the largest privately managed collections of its kind in Texas; in 2001, OutYouth began offering mental health counseling services, which have expanded to include family therapy, support groups, and the Be YOU curriculum; the organization also launched the Texas Gender & Sexuality Alliance Network in 2005 to support students in middle and high schools across the state, and in 2024, it created a Media Arts Program to help individuals express themselves through films, podcasts, music, video games, websites, and other media; and WHEREAS, For three and a half decades, OutYouth has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to fostering inclusivity and empowering LGBTQIA+ youth, and this special milestone is truly worthy of recognition; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the 35th anniversary of OutYouth and extend to all those affiliated with the organization sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for OutYouth as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.