ABSTRACT
Kira and I came to know each other through our work together at The Attic, a youth-run center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in Philadelphia. The Attic served a diverse population of youth ranging in age from 12 to 23, although the majority of the youth who were there at the time were young, Black men. Kira was light skinned and freckled. She wore her hair in twists or locks that hung just beyond her ears, unless they were pulled back. Her eyes were dark, and, every now and then, when she was tired, one of her eyes wandered. Neither of us works at The Attic any more, but I can still picture her there, sitting in a chair, her feet on the floor, both feet and knees wide apart, her elbows on her knees. I can see her rubbing her hands up her face and across her head, smiling and laughing, not giddy, almost lackadaisical.
