Sassafras Lowrey is a genderqueer high femme, militant storyteller, author, artist, and activist. Ze believe that everyone has a story to tell, and that the telling of those stories is essential to creating social change. An accomplished storyteller, ze was an original member of "The Language of Paradox" founded and directed by Kate Bornstein, contributor to numerous anthologies including: LGBTQ: America Today, The Femme Coloring Book, Gendered Hearts, and Visible: A Femmethology. Sassafras and was honored as one of Portland's top emerging writers by In Other Words feminist books in 2004, and is the editor of the highly anticipated Kicked Out anthology (Fall 2009) from Homofactus Press. Sassafras is also the author of GSA to Marriage: Stories of a Life Lived Queerly (Homofactus Press, Summer 2010).

Interview Starts

CP: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. So as we can tell by having read your book in the office you give voice and action to those in our community who may feel they do not have a voice and cannot take action for themselves. For that, can you tell readers a little bit about the Kicked Out Anthology, so they have a better understand of why this book is so important to read?

SL: Kicked Out is an anthology that brings together the voices of current and former homeless LGBTQ youth. Kicked Out will be released from Homofactus Press Fall 2009. More than just an anthology Kicked Out is truly a community based movement to increase visibility and fight the stigma that exists against queer folks who left home as teens. The foreword for Kicked Out has been written by Judy Shepard (mother of Matthew Shepard) and in addition to the diverse group of individual contributors, organizations involved include: The Task Force, Family Builders, Sylvia’s Place, and the National Coalition to End Homelessness. The anthology has been endorsed by PFLAG-National, and now by Campus Pride. I am absolutely thrilled about the community support we have and continue to receive.

CP: You’ve talked a lot about the diversity of contributors that are in the anthology; does the book also include your story?

SL: There are places in the anthology that reference my personal experience of leaving home, but the overall focus is on the stories of the other contributors. My story will be available in a collection of short stories/memoir titled GSA to Marriage: Stories of a Life Lived Queerly” which will be available from Homofactus Press Summer 2010. GSA to Marriage weaves a tapestry of raw and honest tales to explore the paradoxical nature of one queer’s life. Memories of childhood sexual abuse, coming out in a conservative semi-rural area and being kicked out as a teen for being queer emerge in tales of survival, escape, and triumph. The stories in my book play with fluidity and the politics of passing. GSA to Marriage charts a sometimes-perilous journey to adulthood through the lessons learned in escaping the demons of one’s past.

CP: Yes, we can see how this work is truly amazing, but we have so much more work to do around this issue. We can also tell you are very passionate for what you do. Could you please talk about aspects of your own life and experience brought you to want to work on an anthology like this?

SL: Kicked Out is really a dream come true for me. I left home when I was seventeen, books have always been very important to me and so one of the first things I did was go to libraries and bookstores searching for books that focused on the lives of queer teens living on their own. I left every bookstore and library incredibly disappointed. The majority of the books I found painted a very rosy picture of what it meant to be an LGBTQ youth. These were stories of kids whose parents either immediately accepted them, or who were initially disappointed but who within weeks were becoming supportive and doing things like baking cupcakes for their students GSA meetings. Even then I knew that there was a power in telling ones story, and I was deeply troubled that homeless queer youth were completely removed from the dialogue. Now as an adult I feel incredibly honored to be entrusted with bringing these stories together.

CP: We are so thankful that you found your voice on what matters to you most, as well as being able to bring action to a sector of our movement that is not really talked about. We surely believe that once people start to understand the experiences and concerns of homeless LGBT Youth, they to do will want to bring more voice and more action to this issue. What are the goals wish to reach by people reading the Kicked Out anthology?

SL: My primary goal with the anthology is to break down the silence and stigma that current and former homeless LGBTQ youth face in society in general and within the larger LGBTQ community. I also view this book as a gift to all the current youth who are being kicked out and to all the adults in our community whose teen years were punctuated by the loss of biological family.

CP: Those are awesome goals to have, we as Campus Pride we can stand with you as you reach those goals. With that said who other than current and homeless queer youth, is the target audience for Kicked Out?

SL: I really believe that Kicked Out is a book that will appeal to a really wide range of people. Firstly it is my sincere hope that this book gets into the hands of parents who are struggling with their child’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity. I believe that if the epidemic is to end we must show parents what really happens when they force their kids to leave home. Social workers, teachers, and other direct service providers are a key audience for the book. Well meaning people so often alienate LGBTQ homeless youth, or simply don’t even know how to be culturally competent when working with them, I believe that the anthology is a step towards changing that, and giving people the tools they need to better serve homeless queer youth.

CP: What do you think LGBTQ adults can do to be better allies to homeless youth?

SL: Listen. I know it sounds simple but I really believe a first step to ending the epidemic is for LGBTQ adults to be willing to take the time to listen not only to formerly homeless youth but to youth who are currently surviving by couch surfing, living on the streets, in shelters, or in the foster care system. Adults in the community also need to be willing to understand that they don’t have all the answers, and that telling a homeless youth in crisis how they should be living their lives is counter productive, youth are capable of making decisions about their lives an bodies and as adults that is something we need to respect even if the decisions that are being made run contrary to what we would choose for ourselves. Adults also need to support with their time and money organizations that run direct service programs, like specialty shelters for LGBTQ youth.

CP: To help better educate the readers on this issue, please tell us from your prospective what are the resources available for homeless LGBTQ youth? As well if you could also give your ideas on how we can improve.

SL: Through my work with the anthology I have come across some of the most incredible people working to make the world a better place for LGBTQ youth, I have met even more incredible queer youth and former youth and had the honor of getting to talk with all of them about the services that are available. There are wonderful organizations, and specialty shelters across the country that provide caring, and culturally competent shelter services to homeless LGBTQ youth and their work is to be commended. However, at the end of the day the funding for these programs is incredibly scarce. There is not one program that has enough beds (some have no beds at all and youth are sleeping on the floor). I believe that this is a crisis that cannot be ignored, and that funding for these specialty LGBTQ specific programs must be increased.

CP: We can see we have a lot of work ahead of us to solve these issues. Now we would like to touch the stigma attached to being, or having been homeless is something you repeatedly mention, can you explain what that looks like on a community level?

SL: Current and former homeless queer youth are everywhere. We are leaders, community organizers, artists, performers, friends, and family and yet our past experiences are rarely spoken about. Despite the fact that we are everywhere our stories are often silenced. One of the commonalities that has come forth in my work with contributors to the anthology is the fear that people have about being open about their past within the LGBTQ community. People have the very real concern that people’s opinion of them will change if they come out as having been kicked out. In a push to gain rights and legitimacy the voices of some of the most vulnerable have been systematically silenced because they don’t fit within a preconceived notion of who gay people are or should be.

CP: Switching gears a little bit and let’s talk about your views on creating social change. On your website you reference the idea that storytelling is “the key to social change” what does that mean to you?

SL: I believe that one of the most fundamentally radical things that a person can do is to tell their story, and to keep telling it. Stories have the power to put a face to an issue that might otherwise be completely abstract. On a really core level I believe that everyone has a story to tell and that people, especially those who have been marginalized have an opportunity through the telling of their personal stories to alter the way people, communities, and ultimately society as a whole feels about an issue. No two people see the world in the same way, and as such the only way we will ever truly understand differences is through sharing our embodied experiences of the world around us. I’m especially interested in the ways storytelling has been used within queer culture to subvert dominant discourse about life, love, family, and survival.

CP: Thank you, we can see the power behind sharing our stories. Please also share a little bit about the Come Out, Kicked Out campaign, what it means and the goals behind it. We think it would be great to have a better understanding how you are calling our community to action to help give voice to the homeless LGBT youth in our country.

SL: Come Out, Kicked Out is a campaign that I started coinciding with the launch of the Kicked Out website which can be found online at www.kickedoutanthology.com. The premise behind the campaign is to rally community members and get them to challenge and stop the cultural silencing that homeless LGBTQ youth face. This is accomplished on a basic level by providing a space for current and former homeless queer youth to publically come out about their experiences and for other community members to come out as an ally to homeless queer youth.

CP: By now many readers may want to know how to learn more from you in person. You have lot of workshops for community groups across the country, where do folks go to get more information about bringing you to their campus?

SL: I regularly lecture and lead workshops at schools, conferences, and for community groups across the country. Some of my past appearances have included The Portland Zine Symposium, NYAC’s (National Youth Advocacy Coalition) conference in Washington DC, and Sylvia’s Place emergency LGBT youth shelter in Manhattan, Portland State University, CUNY, and Bard College. Folks interested in more information about brining me to their school can go to www.pomofreakshow.com or email me at Sassafras@pomofreakshow.com

Ze lives in New York City with hir partner, two puddle-shaped cats, and a princess dog. www.pomofreakshow.com and www.kickedoutanthology.com