Weekly group offers supports for LGBTQ youth, allies in Mount Forest

MOUNT FOREST – A new weekly group here provides a place for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and their allies to offer each other support.

The group meets every Thursday from 6 to 7pm in the youth room at the United Church.

The group is for students in Grades 7 to 12, but their parents and other allies are welcome to attend.

Mount Forest resident Killian Walls decided to launch the support group because it’s something that he would have benefited from when he was young.

“It would have made a big impact on me because I would know I wasn’t alone,” Walls told the Advertiser.

Walls attends the United Church but noted there is no religion involved in the support group – “the Reverend is just letting us use the room for free.”

He said he spoke with many people in Mount Forest who said they’d like to see a 2SLGBTQIA+ support group in town, so over the summer he began working towards setting one up.

“I figured [people] could really use the support system,” he said.

Anyone interested in joining the group is welcome to drop by the church at 165 Queen St. E. at 6pm on Thursdays.

No pre-registration is needed.

People are also encouraged to drop off clothing donations “for anybody who is in the group who can’t get the clothes they want safely,” Walls said.

For more information, contact Walls at killianwalls@yahoo.com.