News

Thank you, sponsors!

Logo of the number 10 over a b/w image of youth outdoors

Posted on October 27th, 2021

Our 2021 Come Out & Celebrate gala is around the corner and we are grateful to the generous sponsors who have joined us to invest in communities where LGBTQ+ youth thrive! To show YOUR support for LGBTQ+ youth as a sponsor, visit tinyurl.com/OutSponsor21. $10,000 Sponsors Kathy Kaufmann Jamie Pierce $5,000 Sponsors Erik Bailey & Liz […]

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LGBTQ+ Book Club for Teens and Young Adults

lined paper background with the cover of Meet Cute Diary and the typed words VIRTUAL LGBTQ+ BOOK CLUB in Philly rainbow colors

Posted on October 1st, 2021

OUT MetroWest and Ashland Public Library are partnering with local libraries to offer a free, virtual book club for LGBTQ+ young people ages 15-25 (or thereabouts). Facilitators will be members of the LGBTQ+ community. Our first three meetings will take place on Friday evenings at 6:30. Please mark your calendars for November 19, December 17, […]

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Come Out & Celebrate Registration and Sponsorship

Black background, 10 in white text, with assorted colorful rays extended in a triangular arrow toward the right

Posted on September 19th, 2021

Together we’ve been building communities where LGBTQ+ youth thrive for ten years, and we’re looking forward to celebrating with you on Saturday, November 6 at 7 p.m. During our one-hour virtual program, guests will: Hear from youth participants about how OUT MetroWest has impacted their lives Connect with fellow supporters of LGBTQ+ youth Reminisce with […]

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Fall 2021 Programming Update

Six youth sitting outdoors in a circle laughing

Posted on August 29th, 2021

Updated 9/7/21 With a novel virus like COVID-19, we have to reconsider our plans as scientific information becomes available. What we know right now is that the delta variant of the virus is more infectious than its predecessor and is infecting young people at a higher rate than we’ve seen previously. Moreover, most youth have […]

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August Shine Event

Five photos of children using tech devices

Posted on August 21st, 2021

Our next Shine event will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2021 from 9:00 to 9:45 a.m. This free event will be held virtually. To sign up and receive the link, go to tinyurl.com/ShineAugust28. This event is designed to provide children a chance to share their stories (and/or hear those of others!) through activities like Show […]

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Save the Date: Come Out & Celebrate Our 10th Anniversary

Black background, 10 in white text, with assorted colorful rays extended in a triangular arrow toward the right

Posted on July 27th, 2021

It’s our 10th anniversary, and we’re marking the occasion at our annual Come Out & Celebrate event! This year’s event will be held virtually on Saturday, November 6 at 7 p.m. The event will include opportunities to learn about our history and our exciting plans for the future. You’ll hear from the amazing youth we […]

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WAGLY’s New Name

A brown hand gestures in front of a gray wall on which a rainbow has been cast by a prism.

Posted on July 24th, 2021

WAGLY was founded in 2011 as a group for LGBTQ+ and allied high school youth. As a part of the statewide AGLY network, it adopted a name like many of its peers, including groups like BAGLY, BrAGLY, McVAGLY, NAGLY, SShAGLY, and SWAGLY. The AGLY acronym originally stood for “alliance of gay and lesbian youth,” though […]

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Introducing Joel

Joel stands in front of a fountain, smiling up into the camera.

Posted on July 7th, 2021

In late May, OUT MetroWest welcomed a new program manager, Joel Newsome (he/they). Joel’s clear commitment to LGBTQ+ youth empowerment made him a standout among candidates for the program manager role, and we were thrilled to welcome him on-board as the staff member responsible for overseeing our youth programs. For those eager to get to […]

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Drop-In moves outdoors

Youth drawing with sidewalk chalk

Posted on July 3rd, 2021

After 16 months of meeting virtually, our Drop-In program will return to in-person meetings on Thursday, July 15. Here are the details you’ll need to know: For the summer, we will meet outdoors at our new location. The address is 160 Hollis Street, Framingham. Please go around the back of the ātac building, as we’ll […]

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We’re moving!

Renovated firehouse lit up at dusk

Posted on June 27th, 2021

As OUT MetroWest has grown, we’ve relied on local partners to share their spaces for much of our youth programming. Since 2015, we’ve also leased a small office space to manage our operations and host our drop-in hours. Our programs have continued to expand, however, and we now require a larger, central space to house the […]

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Proudly Local: Indie Bookstores

rainbow colored books with the words "proudly local"

Posted on May 25th, 2021

In 2020, The Silver Unicorn Bookstore approached us with an amazing offer: they were creating a list of books for Pride Month, and OUT MetroWest was going to receive a portion of proceeds when titles from the list sold during the month of June. We love books, shopping local, and all things LGBTQ+, so we […]

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Rainbow Graduation

rainbow brick wall with a black mortarboard in the center. there are trans flag and philly pride flag colors included in the graphic.

Posted on May 20th, 2021

On Friday, May 21, 2021, OUT MetroWest and Framingham GLASS are celebrating LGBTQ+ and ally members of the high school classes of 2020 and 2021. All students from MetroWest-area towns and cities are invited to this free virtual event, whether or not they’ve previously attended OUT MetroWest or Framingham GLASS programs. Students are welcome to […]

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Spring Auction 2021

Posted on April 23rd, 2021

Thanks to the generosity of our community, OUT MetroWest is auctioning off dozens of amazing items from Saturday, April 24 at 8 a.m. through Saturday, May 8 at 10 p.m. EST. From art to gift cards to services and more, there’s something for everyone! Your auction purchases support OUT MetroWest’s programs for LGBTQ+ youth. Each year, […]

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Pandemic Mental Health

Graphic of light-skinned person with short dark hair consulting via video chat

Posted on April 9th, 2021

OUT MetroWest’s programs for LGBTQ+ youth are social, educational, and supportive – they’re probably most akin to a youth group. They’re safe, fun spaces to gather with people with peers and role models who share one of your identities – a place to be yourself, make new friends, and build community. We host more than […]

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Budgeting 101 with Alex Fischer

A light-skinned person wearing glasses and a plaid shirt looks up at a camera. They have a cardboard sign in front of them that says "Luckily my kid is trans."

Posted on March 29th, 2021

Youth at our flagship LGBTQ+ high school program, WAGLY, were recently treated to a virtual visit from Alex Fischer (they/them), a queer bookkeeper with A Bookkeeping Cooperative, who led them through a workshop on Budgeting 101. This meeting was offered in response to participant requests for post-high school preparation. We followed up with Alex and […]

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The Top Three

Light-skinned person with short dark hair and beard smiles into camera. He is wearing glasses and a dark shirt.

Posted on March 15th, 2021

We get asked a lot of questions about OUT MetroWest, and we’ve tried to answer a lot of them here but, we know, it’s a lot of words. So we made a quick video answering the top three most frequently asked questions. In this four-minute video, we talk about what needs to happen before you […]

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Trivia Night 2021

Posted on January 28th, 2021

Our hugely popular Trivia Night is back! The event, which will be held virtually on Saturday, May 1, supports our programs for local LGBTQ+ youth. LGBTQ+ community members and allies are welcome and encouraged to attend. The event will be held via Zoom from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The evening is geared toward adults, but […]

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Anti-racism in Action

black and white blurred photo of 8 people with BLM and other racial justice signs outdoors

Posted on January 21st, 2021

What makes a youth program anti-racist? How do you impact the culture of a predominantly White organization? Which steps are the hardest, and which have been the most successful? We spoke with program manager Kay Gordon (they/them, pictured here) about these questions—and many others—in an attempt to share a bit about what we’ve learned as […]

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Meet Our Team: Maria

A light-skinned person with short dark hair smiles into camera. She is holding a smiling baby on her lap, and they are sitting in the woods.

Posted on January 19th, 2021

We recently added several new adult advisors to our team. Advisors help to plan and facilitate our youth meetings and serve as role models for participants. To give you a sense of the adults you might meet at our programs, we did a virtual interview with one of our newest adult advisors, Maria. Here’s what […]

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Coloring Sheets for MLK Day

Bayard Rustin coloring sheet

Posted on January 7th, 2021

As part of Natick’s 2021 MLK Day observance, OUT MetroWest is running a virtual activity room. One of our activities is coloring! We’ve made three coloring sheets featuring people who were close to Dr. Martin Luther King. Each of them made huge contributions to the LGBTQ+ community either as a member or as an ally. […]

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