Laurenzo Community supports LGBTQ youth with online resources, provides opportunities

Growing up in a conservative household rife with homophobia and transphobia, Laurenzo De Camilla felt unsupported in their identity.

De Camilla, 30, began posting videos related to LGBTQ+ issues to various online platforms after earning their doctorate in Italian studies from Ohio State University in 2020, building an audience in which many said they felt supported. De Camilla said after a few videos went viral, they realized creating online content was “a great opportunity to engage with the LGBTQ+ community in a meaningful way.”

But De Camilla said they wanted to extend their reach, creating the Laurenzo Community, an online community for LGBTQ+ youth, and building a team made up of members all around the world.

LGBTQ groups in Columbus: A guide to LGBTQ organizations, resources for Pride Month and beyond in Greater Columbus

LGBTQ Pride events in Columbus: Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival and March highlight LGBTQ Pride events in Columbus

Prospective members pay $1.99 a month to join. Those who cannot pay or ask their parents may apply to the Free Fellowship program for free access. De Camilla said this program is paid for by donations received from monthly GoFundMe campaigns and a sponsorship program, in which people may sponsor an individual’s yearly membership for $24.

“We primarily are trying to just offer a safe space for teens without their parents having to know about it necessarily, so that we can offer that kind of support for them,” De Camilla said.

The program gets an average of 50 to 200 applications a month, with an uptick during Pride month. All members receive their first year free; then they may reapply as a Free Fellow to get a free membership or pay $1.99 a month.

Members gain access to one of the organization’s moderated instant messaging Discord chat room servers, where group members have discussions and build community. Prospective members ages 13-17 may join the teens server, while those 18 and older may join the adults server. Free Fellows have their own chat.

Ash Ludwig, general manager for the Laurenzo Community, said members also gain access to gaming team events, newsletters, member events, a creative arts competition and leadership opportunities.

Ludwig said the program has 299 active Free Fellows, 90 teens, 169 adult members and 22 teen sponsors.

Ludwig said they grew up in a homophobic and transphobic community and felt a connection with De Camilla when they watched their content. Ludwig joined the team after learning about the Free Fellows program and realizing they could help others who felt alone like they did previously.

“It’s a really important thing that we do, being able to have people who relate to that experience and be able to help people through things,” Ludwig said.

Mats Stottmeister, the organization’s technical manager, said he discovered De Camilla’s content on TikTok and YouTube and got more involved when the organization needed content moderators for its Discord servers. Stottmeister said he began helping more, eventually building the entire website from scratch and getting more involved in the community.

Stottmeister said he had supportive parents but enjoyed the sense of community the organization provides, especially since he didn’t know many LGBTQ people in his life.

Caspian Reid, the gaming team manager, said they realized they were nonbinary shortly before joining the Laurenzo community and enjoyed being in a space where people used correct terms when referring to them while learning more about themselves.

As a result of their efforts to make a difference in the LGBTQ+ community, De Camilla and the Laurenzo Community were named GoFundMe Heroes, a program that spotlights those using GoFundMe to make a difference, said Kelsea Little, head of GoFundMe brand storytelling, in a statement.

De Camilla said they felt honored and validated in their efforts to be featured as a GoFundMe Hero.

Ari Romio, GoFundMe spokesperson, said the process to name GoFundMe Heroes is “exhaustive” and the Laurenzo Community's work exemplifies a Hero.

“It really is an honor to be able to showcase Laurenzo and the community and the incredible work they’re doing,” Romio said.

JOrozco@dispatch.com

@JessicaCOrozco

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Laurenzo Community seeks to support LGBTQ+ youth, provide opportunities