JUSTLEFTTHECLOSET.COM is a new social network for LGBT youth and their
friends. A place where members can meet, chat, offer support and tell their
stories whilst only revealing their true identities if they want to. Whether they’re still
in, shyly emerging or proudly out, this can be a starting point for their journey. A
‘room’ they can enter where everyone else is just like them. And it looks pretty
cool too…

Who They Are

Jeremy, 22 (Little MonsterTM) and Tomo, 40 (dad of two): Both based in New York
but from Oregon and England respectively. Jeremy had to deal with his own
coming out only a few years ago and knows what a valuable resource
justleftthecloset would have been during that time. Tomo has spent his career in
the fashion industry working variously as a magazine editor, producer and
photographer. With more and more reports of gay bullying emerging in the
news, Jeremy and Tomo both feel very strongly about wanting to help. They
believe that a safe, fun online community – where kids can feel they have a
unified voice and a position of strength – is needed now more than ever.

The Audience

“We want to create an even playing field for all LGBT kids aged 13 and up,
whether they live in the heart of the city or twenty miles from their nearest
neighbor. They all need friends and they all want to have fun. There are
thousands of others out there just like them, and justleftthecloset will connect
them in an entirely new way. It will enable them to easily interact with each other
from the safety and anonymity of their computers, at their own pace and with
no outside pressure”

“It may sound high-falutin’ but if we can make one person’s life easier, we will
consider justleftthecloset a success. Beyond that, we really believe that if we can
get our message heard by enough people it could be the start of something
bigger, where members can take control of their own lives and start to have a
proud, collective voice of their own.”