by Phillip Dell
Contributor

When
 I 
first 
came
 to 
Nashville, 
I 
found
 a 
lonely 
place 
waiting 
for 
me. 



I
 was 
still 
a 
teenager, 
fresh
 out
 of 
high
school 
and 
ready 
to 
start
 a
 new
 life 
for 
myself. 

At 
first,
 I
 struggled 
to 
find 
the
 social 
outlet 
that 
I 
needed;
 I 
didn’t 
know 
how 
to 
meet 
quality 
people. I 
frequently 
asked 
myself, 
“Where 
are 
people 
like 
me?”


I 
found 
the 
answer
 to 
my 
question 
at 
One‐In‐Teen 
Youth 
Services. 


Every 
Wednesday 
night, 
I 
could 
meet 
people 
my
 age 
from
 diverse 
backgrounds,
 and 
find
 needed 
support
 in 
a 
world 
that 
can
 be
 hostile 
to 
those
 who 
are 
different. 



Hard
 lessons 
would 
be
 learned 
over 
the 
course
 of 
a 
few 
years, 
but 
I 
found
 the
 support 
that
 I
 needed 
to
 get 
through 
it. 

Once 
I 
felt 
Nashville 
comfort,
 I 
was 
ready 
to 
find 
my 
place.
 Without 
the 
support 
of 
my 
peers 
and 
leaders 
at 
One‐In‐Teen, 
I 
would
 not 
have 
realized 
the 
potential 
I
 have 
reached 
today.
 



I’ve 
learned
 how
 to 
live 
a 
life 
free 
of
 shame,
 how
 to 
succeed,
 and 
to 
value 
my
 community. 

I’m 
involved
 in 
a 
long‐term 
relationship 
with
 Nashville, 
and 
enjoy 
watching 
the 
culture 
around
 me 
grow
 and
 change.




Starting 
now,
 you 
can 
look 
forward
 to 
a
 column
 from
 One‐In‐Teen
 in 
Out
 & 
About
 Newspaper. 

You’ll 
hear
 from
 teens 
and 
adult 
members 
and 
volunteers 
about 
our
 experiences 
and 
aspirations. 

I 
hope
 that 
our 
words 
will 
inspire 
you.


For
 almost 
20 
years,
One‐In‐Teen
 has
 been
 an 
anchor
 for 
Nashville
 GLBT
 youth. 

We 
provide
 a 
safe 
environment
 for 
gay, 
lesbian, 
bisexual, 
transgendered, 
and
 questioning
 youth 
to 
participate 
in 
peer 
support 
and
 find 
community
 involvement. 

Have questions or want to get involved? Email us at Info@One-In-Teen.org or drop in for our Wednesday night support group from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 617 Hart Lane in Nashville.