Lindsey Renee Bever (A.A. Parkland College in Psychology, B.S. UIUC in Psychology, M.A. Suffolk University in Women’s Health) lives in Los Angeles, where she works with LGBTQ youth and spends time with her partner and friends that are family.
If you would have told me as a child growing up in Champaign-Urbana that one day I’d be living in Los Angeles, with my Master’s degree, working with LGBT youth, I definitely would have believed you. I have wanted this for a really long time. A journal entry from me at 16 says “I can’t wait to have a master’s degree and be working at a youth center.” 12 years later, here I am.
Almost 3 years ago, I started working with homeless LGBTQ youth in Los Angeles. My role within the organization I work forĀ has changed andĀ shifted, but my number one goal has stayed the same – to create and maintain a space that is holistically safe for LGBTQ youth. I believe that my passion for this work began many years ago when I, a queer youth, felt as if I had nowhere to go and be myself. Now, every day, I have the opportunity to make eye contact with the youth and offer them genuine compassion, and that is truly the driving factor in my passion for this work.