It is February already! Worcester is getting into full swing in spite of the weather! The monthly networking meeting on the second Wednesday of every month will continue at Bocado, although the event at Sweet Kitchen & Bar was awesome in December. To find out more, email the organizers at worcestergayprofessionals@gmail.com.

Worcester’s dance party scene is going strong with AirSpray. We featured this group in January. Hosted at Electric Haze, the dance parties easily get more than 200 people on the third Friday night of every month.

Worcester’s youth also have a couple of nights a week to meet, with programming designed specifically for them. SafeHomes is a peer-led, weekly drop-in night for youth between the ages of 14 and 22. It is nice because queer youth are genuinely embraced. There is a wide diversity of youth on the LGBTQ+ spectrum alongside their straight allies. At the drop-in center on Mann Street in Worcester, organizers provide a meal at no cost to the youth and a combination of structured and unstructured social time. For more information, contact safehomes@thebridgecm.org. Full disclosure: I am on advisory board of Safe Homes; my son and I volunteer there, and we sponsor them financially. It is safe to say we are invested in SafeHomes’ success.

Another option for LGBTQ+ youth aged 12-22 is SWAGLY. Supporters of Worcester Area Youth’s focus is the prevention of HIV, drug/alcohol abuse and domestic violence. It was founded in 1984 as a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and to provide an atmosphere where they can flourish into confident leaders. SWAGLY meets every Wednesday night at AIDS Project Worcester. In addition to the meal and social time, there is a youth leadership program. For more information, contact swagly@aidsprojectworcester.org.

As the immediate past president of Worcester Pride, I have some exciting news about the full year of events, culminating in Worcester Pride Week from Sept. 7-10. Beginning in January, there is a new meeting format and location. The Pride Committee Business Meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at 35 Harvard St., Worcester (third floor). Team Pride Meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month at Wycked Java, 108 Water St., Worcester. There will be six teams – Community Outreach, LGBTQ+ Community Events, Social Justice Issues, Pride Week Events, Fund Raising and Youth – and Wycked Java will provide us with room for multiple teams to work productively. Please come and contribute!

From 5-8 p.m. Feb. 13 is our annual Italian Family Dinner at First Unitarian Church. This family-friendly dinner is always a well-attended and fun event.

From 7-10 p.m. Feb 27 is our annual, not-to-be-missed Farewell to February, which brings together the best Worcester County has to offer while we bid farewell to winter and officially launch the 2016 Pride Year. It will be held again at the Trobaugh-Allison home.

See worcesterpride.org for more details on these events.

I’m really looking forward to an exciting month. Let me know about your events a month in advance at john.trobaugh@gmail.com, and I will do my best to put them here!

By John Trobaugh