IGLYO's Early Heart
In the first decade of IGLYO’s existence, two flagship projects defined the early direction of the organisation: the Speak Out Bulletin and the PenPal Project.
In 1987, IGLYO launched Speak Out: a popular bulletin produced four times a year and sent for free to member lesbian and gay youth student groups worldwide, as well as to individual subscribers in exchange for a small contribution fee.
Over a decade, the content of Speak Out issues ranged from announcement and reports of upcoming IGLYO events and conferences, news about IGLYO, updates from the Bureau and Secretariat, all the way to opinion articles written by queer youth from across the globe on burning topics for the community. In a time before widespread use of the internet, Speak Out enabled LGBTQI youth activists worldwide to remain informed and engaged with developments within the community.
IGLYO’s iconic PenPal Project was also introduced in 1987, offering the unique opportunity for LGBTQI youth to get in contact with one another internationally. Queer youth from all over the world wrote to IGLYO’s headquarters to enlist in the project and request the list of pen pals of other LGBTQI youth. For many, the PenPal project introduced them to their first lesbian or gay friend — or lover.
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Most of the letters in the archive express a need to talk to someone like themselves, others request nondescript packaging for fear of being outted, and some describe the hardship and discrimination endured at home.
