From hateful attacks to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, the number of states where queer young people say they do not feel safe is growing. This summer, a small group of them get to spend the summer in a place where they do feel accepted, thanks to a program in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
At the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown has long been a haven for the queer community, but this summer, a house full of young people is experiencing it for the first time.
The program, called "Summer of Sass," relocates 18-20-year-olds looking to escape the intolerance in their hometowns to P-Town for the summer.
Wren LaPlant, a 19-year-old from Texas, is one of eight people participating in this year's program. After his application was selected, he arrived in Provincetown about a month ago.
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"I had never even heard about Provincetown before this point. I kind of thought they were joking when they said it was this good," LaPlant said.
After regularly experiencing hate and hostility where he lives in Texas, he could not believe the acceptance he felt the moment he arrived. He also said he has never seen so many Pride flags in his life.
"Having queer managers, seeing queer people succeeding and seeing queer people happy has just been life-changing for me," LaPlant said. "It was a breath of fresh air. It felt like a place I could call home."
Vea Croteau, a 19-year-old from Florida, was also selected. She said she has never felt safer.
"I can walk out on the street and I don't have to worry about turning my back or being scared. Up here, it's OK to be the weird one. You can be yourself and people like that about you," Croteau said.
The participants, known as "sassers," get jobs and pay a portion of rent. They have access to therapy and community. The program has only grown since Kristen Becker, a local comedian, started Summer of Sass back in 2017.
"Somebody did say to me, 'Not all gay people are sassy,' and I was like, 'No, but being yourself is the sassiest thing you can do,'" Becker said.
Becker knows being yourself is getting tougher for LGBTQ+ people to do, depending on where they live, which is why she says this kind of program is more important than ever.
"I feel like as the temperature rises on the queer community, it's our job to step up and say, 'Hey, we have to help,'" Becker said.
Becker was worried she was going to have to stop running Summer of Sass after last year, but a private donation came through at just the right time and helped her purchase a permanent home for the program on Bradford Street. AllModern donated furniture and décor to the home, now covered in rainbows and positive affirmations.
"This makes P-Town accessible to young adults who really need it. Just being here saves people," Becker said.
She said for years, they have been told it gets better, but this allows them to spend a summer in a place where it actually is.
"This whole program has already changed my life in so many ways," LaPlant said. "I can't wait to see where the rest of the summer goes."
