Teens at LGBTQ prom in Hauppauge step out with a defiant beat

As the LGBTQ Youth Prom kicked off Thursday night in Hauppauge, a man pulled up to the curb in a vintage automobile to drop off his grandchild, a teenager wearing a rainbow skirt, a moment that resonated with organizers minding the reception desk.

“How accepting is that?” asked one volunteer with the LGBT Network, which held the prom at their Hauppauge headquarters.

Close to 200 teens were expected at the celebration, many in a show of defiance against a political climate in some quarters nationally that has grown increasingly hostile to the LGBTQ community.

The evening “Under the Stars” included dancing, a dessert buffet and “swag bags,” performances by finalists and semifinalists from the nonprofit’s talent show, which was held in May, and a Rainbow Royalty Court, recognizing high school students working to challenge homophobia and transphobia in their communities.

“This anti-LGBTQ extremism and rhetoric … creates fear for LGBT kids,” said Robert Vitelli, CEO of the network. “Even though a lot of what we’re seeing isn’t happening locally, they still see and hear it. There’s still a message that there are significant numbers of people out there that literally have hate against who they are.”

Tye Burrus, 16, of Copiague was waiting to take the stage to perform in drag at the talent show as a semi-finalist.

“The opportunity to express ourselves through clothing and makeup, and however we want, is really important, which is something I’m visibly passionate about,” he said. “Especially in times like this, where drag is under fire … It shows we’re not being groomed. We’re being happy.”

Presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as well as other lawmakers in the state have championed a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ laws — spurring prominent gay rights groups in the U.S. and other civil rights organizations to issue warnings the Sunshine State may no longer be safe. The legal efforts in Florida have spurred other states to prepare similar legislation.

David Kilmnick, president and founder of the LGBT Network, similarly emphasized how important it is to support LGBTQ youth, especially in light of that national political climate.

“State and local governments are working harder against us than ever before and we must double down on our efforts to provide these safe spaces where LGBTQ youth are free to be,” he said in a statement before the prom. “Many of our kids, particularly in the suburbs, feel isolated and unsafe in their communities. They deserve the same rite of passage as their non-LGBTQ peers, a prom that creates memories that last a lifetime.''

The LGBT Network has hosted the prom every year since 2001, when it was the first suburban LGBTQ youth prom ever held in the U.S., according to Vitelli.

“What we’re hearing from the kids is, ‘Wow, it’s amazing to even know that there are so many kids like me,’ ” Vitelli said.

With AP

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.