NAMPA — LGBTQ+ youth in Canyon County have sought out spaces to build community, leading to the creation of CLUTCH.
The LGBTQ+ centered non-profit brings youth ages 14-20 together on a weekly basis.
The organization began with an idea from then-pastor Sarah Riley who wanted to build a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens. CLUTCH held its first meeting in March 2022 and continues to operate out of the Real Life Community Church, located at 120 14th Ave S in Nampa.
Riley has since moved away, but other community members have kept the organization alive.
Members meet every Thursday to participate in activities, often planned through community partnerships. In the organization’s two years, Director of Operations Mindy OldenKamp said they haven’t missed a single week.
“Most of our kids are in high school, and to be able to provide something to those kids where they know that they can just show up and be who they are, is something I didn’t have necessarily growing up,” OldenKamp said.
CLUTCH is meant to serve as a place without any pressure, where teens can feel a sense of community. OldenKamp said the number of kids at a meeting can vary, fluctuating between 15 to 20 participants depending on the week.
“Some of these kiddos aren’t out at home or out in public, and it’s just exhausting,” OldenKamp said. “A lot of them just come because they know they can just be and relax.”
OldenKamp has lived in Nampa most of her life and has faced a lack of acceptance herself. She said, in many ways, being LGBTQ+ in Nampa has improved.
She recalled a time where she was afraid to hold the hand of her partner, now wife, in public.
“The general safety of just walking down the street feels much better, the general ability to just live here feels better,” OldenKamp said. “I’ve seen that grow in leaps and bounds and I’ve been so proud of the greater Nampa community.”
She believes that LGBTQ+ prejudice reflects the beliefs of a small percentage of the community, and that people are scared of the unknown.
Unfortunately, Nampa’s political climate, and at times policies and decision making, have been frustrating for the youth that attend CLUTCH, OldenKamp said. She referred to a Nampa School District policy approved just over a year ago.
In the summer of 2023, the NSD Board of Trustees voted 3-1 in favor of policy 2050 which prohibits the discussion or teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity, stating that it is “solely the responsibility of a child’s parent, custodian, or legal guardian.”
“The biological sex of all students shall be based on each student’s official birth certificate,” the policy reads.
The policy bars teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity with their students. It also outlines that staff cannot be held accountable for using pronouns that an individual does not want to be called by.
“There’s so many other things that we could be doing with our time, and limiting speech, thought and freedom makes (students) feel really restricted,” OldenKamp said. “(Teens question), ‘why do I have to fight for that every time I turn around?’”
The policy has limited CLUTCH’s ability to promote itself, as teachers and school counselors can’t discuss or promote it.
Janelle Stauffer, owner of The Resiliency Center of Idaho, emphasized the importance of being LGBTQ+ affirming in her practice. The center is a therapy office located in downtown Nampa with several practicing therapists on staff, including Stauffer.
When searching online for LGBTQ+ resources in Canyon County, Stauffer’s business is one of few that shows up, though she said more are out there.
The center has worked with closeted teens who don’t plan on coming out until they leave for college or move away.
“That’s a hard thing for kids whose brains are developing, and to be healthy and secure, they should be accepted for who they are,” Stauffer said.
Stauffer has also seen the fallout from students affected by the NSD’s gender and sexuality policy. Students have seen both positive and negative reactions.
Stauffer said she has heard of a teacher pulling a student aside and telling them they would be protected.
At the same time, one of her patients said a teacher refused to use their preferred pronouns, escalating the situation to the principal’s office.
Stauffer particularly worries about transgender students. The center’s therapists each have one or two patients that are transgender.
“I think, based on the population, that there probably should be more,” she said. “I’m worried they’re not seeking help.”
According to a Trevor Project national survey, 45% of LGBTQ+ youth surveyed in 2022 seriously considered attempting suicide. Nearly 20% of transgender and nonbinary youth have made attempts. The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization, is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ young people, according to its website.
In previous experience working for the NSD’s trauma response network, Stauffer estimated that half of the suicides she provided support for were LGBTQ+ students.
As a longtime Idahoan, OldenKamp said it is heartbreaking to see anti-LGBTQ+ legislation proposed most years. She said it is especially hurtful when it impacts people she knows directly.
“It’s every year now — there’s something that comes up, and there’s just something to watch for and something to fight against,” OldenKamp said.
OldenKamp believes laws, like restrictions on transgender health care, aren’t what most constituents actually want.
Stauffer said organizations like CLUTCH are key to building community for kids who face rejection. That rejection, which can come in many forms and from different sectors of society, can often be traumatic, leading to internalized shame and sometimes self harm.
“Every single one of them needs champions that are saying, ‘We got you. Here we are waving our flag,’” Stauffer said. “There’s got to be this community.”
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