🌍 Generation Next Forum: A Global Gathering of Black LGBTQIA+ Youth

Under the bright autumn sun of St. Louis, over 300 Black LGBTQIA+ youth from the U.S. and Caribbean convened for the Generation Next Forum, a three-day summit organized by Black Pride STL. It was part conference, part festival, and wholly revolutionary.

The schedule was packed: workshops on mental-health resilience, panels on entrepreneurship and Afro-futurism, and performances celebrating ballroom culture. In one of the most emotional sessions, “Revolution Starts at Home,” parents of queer youth shared their paths toward understanding.

A Jamaican mother took the microphone, her hands trembling but her smile unwavering:

“I didn’t lose a son.
I gained a teacher.
He taught me how to love without fear.”

The crowd rose in applause. Her son, now a volunteer with a local LGBTQIA+ nonprofit, hugged her as tears streamed down both their faces.

Evenings were for joy: open-mic sessions, drag showcases, and a healing circle led by queer elders who shared stories from decades of activism. On the final night, participants lit candles and marched through downtown St. Louis in memory of those lost to violence. The chant echoed between skyscrapers: “We are the future. We are free.”

One attendee whispered to a friend as candles swayed in the wind:

“This is what freedom feels like.”