AWI Our Stories, Our Voices presents: Coming Out Twice—Finding the Right Time to Tell a Story

The Our Stories, Our Voices festival celebrates queer mental health stories told by LGBTQ+ filmmakers and artists. Over three days, filmmakers, mental health professionals, and community leaders will lead insightful, interactive workshops focused on the unique experiences of queer people and their mental health.

One of the biggest challenges for LGBTQIA+ folks remains coming out to their communities, and disclosing that they don’t fit within the heteronormative expectations of our culture. Equally hard, but less discussed, is the ‘coming out’ about mental health issues and discussing mental illness, in what remains a very ableist society. In this session, Mariana Osuna and 1990’s Chris used their award-winning short films to explore what it means to be queer and living with mental health challenges, in an environment that makes it hard to be either.

You can view the event recording below:

Featured National Resources:

Crisis Text Line
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Trans Lifeline
The Trevor Project
Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM)
Black Mental Health Alliance