PHOTOS: We Are the Youth Captures Young LGBT America

Four years ago, award-winning journalist Diana Scholl and photographer Laurel Golio started with a simple idea: post images capturing the stories of diverse LGBT youth from across America to the web. "We felt that there were lots of stories to be shared about LGBTQ youth that we didn't see represented," Scholl explained to The Huffington Post.

"It was important for us that people from all walks of life could read the individual stories of others and know they were not alone," said Scholl.

Now, after collecting more than 100 photographs and stories, the duo have decided to turn their work into a book titled We Are the Youth: Sharing the Stories of LGBTQ Youth in the United States. The artists see publishing as a more permanent, stable way to preserve the stories of queer youth than solely relying on the Internet.

"Publishing these stories in print makes it possible to address this lack of visibility in a medium that is easily handled, carefully considered, stocked in stores, loaned to others, and archived," they explained on publisher Space-Made's site.

Those interested in handling their own copy can find more on the book's website. Scholl and Golio also encourage readers to purchase copies that the artists will then donate to organizations that work with LGBT youth.

Kali

Michelle

Mahlon