[PHOTOS] The future looks bright for LGBTQ+ youth in Texas at ground breaking for new Blue Bungalow

It was a very happy National Coming Out Day, especially in Austin, Texas.

Mark Mark
Oct 19, 2026 - 20:00
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[PHOTOS] The future looks bright for LGBTQ+ youth in Texas at ground breaking for new Blue Bungalow
A group of men and women in construction hard hats smile outdoors with shovels in Austin, Texas.
OutYouth’s Board of Directors Breaks ground at the site of the organization’s new Blue Bungalow on Oct. 6, 2026. | Image Credit: Patrick Nye

It’s a great day to be gay — especially in Austin, Texas!

Earlier this week, the LGBTQ+ community celebrated National Coming Out Day on October 11, a day that especially resonated in the Live Music Capital of the World as ground breaking had just occurred on its new Blue Bungalow, a property whose queer roots date back nearly 30 years.

The venture is being led by OutYouth, a nonprofit organization that’s been serving LGBTQ+ youth and their allies in Central Texas since 1990 and moved into the historic spot in 1998. Within its four walls, today’s adults found allies and other queer people who listened, a fitting second chapter to a building that previously hosted the Texas Triangle, the state’s resident LGBTQ+ newspaper.

Now, it’s time for another second chapter as construction begins on a new iteration of the famed bungalow after a catastrophic water leak left it inhabitable back in 2024. Of course, the expansion couldn’t come at a better time, guaranteeing that, as Texas continues to gut LGBTQ+ clubs and books across the state, the next generation of queer kids will have a place to go.

“Breaking ground on the new Blue Bungalow isn’t just about honoring where we’ve been; it’s a promise that this place will be here for every young person still finding their way to us,” Jaryn Holbook Janeway, OutYouth’s executive director, said in a statement.

Accordingly, the new space will include a drop-in center, seven therapy offices, and serve as a permanent home to the Jerry Strickland Jr. and Steve Kubenka Memorial Library, a collection of more than 1,800 queer titles and one of the largest lending libraries in the state.

In its 10-county area, OutYouth estimates that it serves a population of 68,000 LGBTQ+ people, ages 13 to 23, and its demand has famously outpaced its capacity for years. In that kind of climate, it’s easy to understand why this expansion and why the organization’s current Dream Campaign, which aims to fundraise an additional $1.3 million to finish the rebuilding and set them up for longterm sustainability, is more important than ever.

“Our clients don’t leave the news at the door,” Rachael Longoria, OutYouth’s Director of Clinical and Social Services, added. “When a bill targeting LGBTQIA+ young people is debated, when the political climate shifts, requests for counseling servies and support skyrocket … We know what helps these young people: being accepted exactly as they are and having a space that is their own. The new Blue Bungalow means we can offer that and reach many more youth and young people.”

You can learn more about Blue Bungalow and OutYouth, including how to support its rebuilding campaign, here.

Below, check out more pics from the joyous ground breaking.

The ground breaking event for OutYouth's new house in Austin Texas. Men and women sit in folding chairs out doors looking towards a podium and a sign reading,
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
Three men smile outdoors in jeans and t-shirts next to a stack of orange and purple balloons at an event in Austin, Texas.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
A purple rock reading "Welcome Home" is pictured in the dirt.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
A woman with purple hair talks to a crowd at a ground breaking event in Austin, Texas, standing behind a podium and in front of orange and purple balloons.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
Two men hug at a ground breaking event in front of an audience of folding chairs.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
A woman in a head wrap, black blazer, and t-shirt reading "OutYouth" speaks into a microphone at a podium outdoors.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
A square of rocks are formed in a rectangle around dirt at a ground breaking event in Austin, Texas.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
A man in a paisley dress shirt and blue suit jacket speaks into a microphone at a podium outdoors.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
An aerial view of a ground breaking event in Austin, Texas, featuring folding chairs, balloons, and a podium in a clearing between green trees.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
Two men in construction hats pose back-to-back and smile at a ground breaking event in Austin.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
Five smiling men and women pose with a shovel, wearing construction hard hats, at a ground breaking event in Austin, Texas.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
A man in a black t-shirt and jeans holds a shovel filled with dirt at a ground breaking event.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye
Big block letters with lights reading, "DREAM" are pictured in front of green trees and shrubs in Austin, Texas.
Image Credit: Patrick Nye

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