It’s estimated that 40 percent of all homeless youth in major U.S. cities are GLBT (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender). Suicide is the leading cause of death amongst these adolescents. Their families often reject them and when they’re placed in foster care, they’re frequently harassed and beaten by other kids, and even the staff. David De Bacco is an openly gay man who is a screenwriter. Here is his story:

The First OUTing

By David De Bacco

I was introduced to Create Now several years ago. I was willing to go anywhere and to work with any group of youth from their mentoring world, but I really wanted to work with GLBT youth. I am a gay man and I felt that maybe I could be a positive influence.

My Screenwriting Workshop may be a little different than the usual Create Now class. We are working with Lifeworks, a new youth mentoring group at the GLBT Center in Hollywood. The goal of Lifeworks is to help LGBT youth (14-24 years old) to realize their goals and dreams via workshops and activities that are fun and educational.

Unlike the typical Create Now student, the kids in my Screenwriting Workshop are more fortunate, since they have not been thrown out of their homes because of their sexuality. Actually, their parents have realized their children are “different,” and they are bringing them to my class.

I started the first class by introducing myself. I explained that I was not that screenwriter who sold a screenplay to Steven Spielberg and made millions of dollars. I proudly held my head high and was honest with them. I didn’t pretend to be anything other than myself.

I gave each writer a plastic envelope and showed how I gather and keep all my research materials. As I was discussing the structure for my story, I mispronounced a word and one of the students was hesitant in correcting me. I gave her permission and stressed that when we were in that room together we were peers -- “fellow writers” -- and it was important to have an open dialogue where we could feel comfortable critiquing each other. This was a huge step in gaining their trust.

One of the tools I handed out was a one-page synopsis of a screenwriting structure that I was given by one of my UCLA instructors. It’s the most valuable piece of paper I’ve ever been able to work from, since it shows how to map out a story. Once each student had a beginning, middle and an end to their story, we proceeded to the next step of actually writing the script.

As for my own comfort level? I’m realizing that this experience is making me more comfortable with being myself. In many ways this mentoring outing has been like a mirror -- seeing myself in them and discovering how the times in the GLBT community have truly changed for the better. This new generation are much more accepting of who they are and comfortable with it. I find that being a part of this positive mindset is quite rewarding, like a breath of fresh air.

Here’s what one of David’s students has to say about this workshop:

“I must say this class is a very enjoyable class! Despite the fact that I'm the youngest of anyone here at LifeWorks, I’ve felt like I’m creating a real screenplay like a professional, and able to be as creative as I want when it comes to the category of sexual orientation, religion, or other beliefs. I believe that this class is perfect for any youth with or without creativity, and truly allows them to flourish.” - Syd, age 13