A month ago, a teen who went by the name of Sage, took his life.Sage was one of us and was one of the many LGBTQIA teens that frequents the North County LGBTQ Resource Center.Our Center’s youth want to celebrate Sage’s life and remember his legacy of love and acceptance, and not dwell on his pain. While so many have been questioning the reason behind this tragedy, Sage was loved and respected by his family and peers and this is how his closest friends here at the Center want to remember him.However, Sage’s story brought to our attention just how vulnerable our LGBTQIA youth really are, constantly challenged by a society that only seems to accept and impose a gender binary idea of the world.During the days that followed Sage’s passing, his closest friends stood up to honor him and reach out in solidarity with the many whose voices still can’t be heard. They brought to “our little Center that could” their wisdom, but also their determination to never be silent. We are all so proud of them!For this reason this month, I have shared my space with Jasper. Jasper is a participant in one of the Center’s youth groups and one of Sage’s closest friends. He and so many others that were close to Sage are offering closure and support for everyone that needs it.Very recently — and I mean very, very recently — I lost a close friend of mine.