"True Colors", a ground-breaking annual conference for sexual minority youth, convened for its 10th anniversary in Hartford, Connecticut, March 21 and 22, 2003. This conference, formerly called "Children from the Shadows", has served as a potent instrument of social change and expansion in our culture's attitudes toward non-conventional sexual identities and preferences. Ten years ago, this population surely represented teens from the shadows, but thanks to the bold vision of the conference's founder, Robin Passariello, MSW, this year's attendees were impressively "out" and confident in their explorations of love and sex.

Approximately 1800 teen-agers attended workshops focusing on issues that lesbian, gay, bi, transgendered and questioning youth face. This year's conference theme was "been there, done that. NOW WHAT?" Workshops covered a fantastic array of topics including: coming out to parents, queer friendly colleges, same sex domestic violence, explorations in body image, sexual freedom and the law, overcoming depression, safe sex, the politics of AIDS vaccines, art as activism, Biblical self defense, envisioneering as the art of life, making polyamorous relationships work, disabilities, younger and older male relationships, and a host of others.

As the mother of grown children and a co-founder of Greenwood Sudbury School in Hampton, CT, (founded upon the premise of pure democracy free of age restrictions, www.greenwood.nu), I value facilitating access to information for young people. What I brought to both days of the conference was a workshop entitled "Introduction to Tantra for Teens". Going public with my study and practice of Tantra is recent, so I was both excited and terrified by this opportunity to introduce Tantra to these teen-agers. Also, creating a program that involves sexuality and young people treads into uncertain territory in our sexually conservative culture. To get help, I corresponded with Shavana Fineberg, a clinical psychologist in Boulder, CO whose focus for several years has been Tantra for teens.