When Services Are Under Attack, We Link Arms: A Call to Action for Ohio's LGBTQ+ Community
When services for Ohio’s LGBTQ+ youth are cut, we don’t collapse — we link arms, share resources, and rebuild lifelines through collective action and advocacy.
Earlier this week brought devastating news: Nationwide Children's Hospital announced it will no longer provide gender-affirming care. Then, I learned that Kaleidoscope Youth Center is closing its housing program after losing state funding. Two blows, back-to-back.
It hurts. It frightens. And it confirms what we already know: LGBTQ+ youth and families in Ohio are being systematically targeted. Healthcare, housing, safety—these aren’t luxuries or political talking points. They are lifelines. And right now, too many of those lifelines are fraying.
But here’s what I believe: when one lifeline breaks, we weave another.
The Power of Collective Response
As a physician associate, I’ve spent my career witnessing how interconnected care systems work. No single provider, no single organization, no single intervention can meet every need. Healing happens in an ecosystem—where each voice, each service, each act of advocacy strengthens the whole.
The same is true for our LGBTQ+ community. We don’t all have to do everything, but we all must do something.
That’s why, even in the face of these devastating losses, I see opportunity alongside crisis. While some doors are slamming shut, others remain open—if we are strategic, if we are collaborative, if we refuse to let despair paralyze us into inaction.
Concrete Steps We Can Take Right Now
1. Alert Organizations to Funding Opportunities
The GEICO Philanthropic Foundation and others like it gave millions of dollars in grants in 2023, with focus areas including Promoting Equity and Education. Organizations like Kaleidoscope Youth Center—which has served over 50 young people through their housing program since 2019—would be strong candidates for this kind of corporate support.
Many grassroots organizations doing crucial work don’t have the bandwidth to research every available funding stream. We can help by sharing these opportunities across our networks.
2. Strengthen the Ecosystem Through Partnership
Through the Beth Robin Foundation, our mission is literary advocacy—publishing LGBTQ+ inclusive books, supporting marginalized authors, and building representation in young adult literature. We don’t provide direct medical or housing services. But we absolutely stand with those who do.
Our work makes sense only as part of a larger ecosystem. A young person needs housing stability and books that reflect their identity. Healthcare access and stories that help them envision their future. Legal protection and the deep knowledge that they belong in this world.
3. Amplify Front-Line Organizations
While we’re still building our foundation’s capacity, we’re committed to using whatever platform we have to uplift organizations providing direct services. This might mean:
Sharing their fundraising campaigns on social media
Including information about their services in our outreach
Connecting them with potential collaborators or funders
Advocating for their work in policy spaces
Why Literary Advocacy Matters Right Now
Some might ask: with housing programs closing and medical care being denied, why focus on books?
Because representation saves lives. Because a young person who sees themselves reflected in literature learns they have a future worth imagining. Because the stories we tell—and the stories we silence—shape what our communities believe is possible.
Our five completed manuscripts, ready for publication, center LGBTQ+ characters navigating identity, friendship, and belonging. At a time when book challenges are spiking and diverse stories are being targeted, these voices are more crucial than ever.
But we also know: books without housing are incomplete. Stories without healthcare access ring hollow.
Our literary work matters precisely because it is part of a broader movement toward justice and belonging.
The Story We’re Writing Together
When I see news like this week’s announcements, I feel the same heartbreak you do. But I also remember: we are in the middle of writing a story—a story about resilience, dignity, and the refusal to be erased.
That story includes the young person who finds safety in Kaleidoscope’s programs. It includes the families supported by gender-affirming healthcare. And it includes the kid who opens a book and discovers, for the first time, that someone like them gets to be the hero of their own adventure.
All of these chapters matter. All of these voices belong in the narrative we’re creating together.
Join Us
If you know of funding opportunities that could support LGBTQ+ organizations in Ohio—share them.
If your organization would benefit from partnership with literary advocates—reach out.
If you have resources, connections, or skills that could strengthen our collective response—let’s talk.
You can find the Beth Robin Foundation at bethrobinfoundation.org and on Facebook. We’re building something that will outlast the current attacks on our community—but we can’t build it alone.
When services are under attack, we link arms. We share resources. We refuse despair.
Because the story we are writing together—the one of resilience, dignity, and justice—cannot be erased. Not today, not ever.
We are looking for partners, funders, and collaborators who believe in the power of story as part of the fight for justice. If that’s you—let’s connect.
The Beth Robin Foundation supports LGBTQ+ inclusive literature and marginalized voices in publishing. Our founder can be reached at bethrobin2065@gmail.com for partnership opportunities, resource sharing, or collaboration.