OUR STORY
Youth-Led LGBTQ+ Youth Liberation Since 2006
Members of iNSIDEoUT’s first Board – Siobhan Burke-Siegemund (Homeschooled), Brandon Byers (NC School of Science and Math), Lena Eckert-Erdheim (Durham School of the Arts), and Ashleigh Pippin (Sanderson High School) – began working together in the Spring of 2005. In October 2005, with the support of their undergraduate advisor, Robert Wells (UNC-Chapel Hill), and their adult allies, Amy Glaser and Dale Wolf, they organized a statewide rally and march to advocate for the passage of the School Violence Prevention Act. In March, 2006, on the lawn at Weaver Street Market, they chose the name iNSIDEoUT, envisioning something even bigger, something they knew had only just begun. In May of that year, iNSIDEoUT gathered their peers from 19 high schools in the Triangle for the First Annual iNSIDEoUT Banquet and Gaiety, elected a new board for the coming year, and together formulated a mission and vision. In 2009, iNSIDEoUT created Outside In, an adult-run 501(c)3, to provide legal backing and increase capacity. In 2011, they started UPSIDEDOWN, a group for those under 13 years old.
ABOUT iNSIDEoUT 180
Mission
iNSIDEoUT is a youth-led network of safer spaces, resources, and opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth to unite and organize. We elevate and celebrate the voices and knowledge of LGBTQ+ youth from all backgrounds as forces for justice, liberation, and the eradication of all systems of oppression!
Purpose
We seek to create a safer space for all LGBTQ+ youth, both near and far. We work to connect Gay-/Queer-Straight Alliances with one another to strengthen our community. Throughout the year we host multiple events to help people feel accepted and supported for who they are.
We Believe
A grassroots, youth-run structure is essential for harnessing the exponential power of youth organizing.
