What’s new at Mogenic

Mogenic is the world’s leading gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth website, providing a forum for same-sex-attracted young people to share ideas, read information relevant to their lives and, most importantly, make contact with other young people.

The website was founded by Sebastian, a.k.a. Angel, in 1997 as TG4, but was renamed Mogenic in 2000, due to a need for identity change. Sebastian explains the word Mogenic means, in Latin, love spawning from a single cell. Fuelled by the volunteers’ passionate determination to decrease the feelings of isolation so many same-sex-attracted young people experience and its destructive consequences, Mogenic has become a vehicle for the voice of GLBT youth worldwide.

Mogenic aims to:

-¢ educate and inform same-sex-attracted young people,

-¢ foster and encourage the exchange of ideas on issues pertinent to same-sex-attracted young people’s lives,

-¢ confirm the significance and relevance of same-sex-attracted young people within society, and

-¢ promote a positive self-image and sense of belonging.

According to Sebastian, Mogenic’s current user base has grown to cater for over 700,000 users each month. These users predominantly originate from the United States of America, followed by Australasia and Europe.

Mogenic attracts such large numbers of users monthly due to the provision of a forum to express themselves (through verbal, written and artistic mediums), an opportunity to share their thoughts, feelings, fears, experiences and talents with others, information about a wide range of issues relevant to the interests of same-sex-attracted youth and the creation of a safe place which increases self-confidence and a sense of belonging.

GLBT youth from around the world contribute content, comments and ideas on a daily basis. The testimonies of these young people pay homage to the impact that Mogenic has had on the well-being, self-esteem and optimism of so many of its users.

-¦ I found Mogenic, it helped a lot and basically saved my life because I knew I wasn’t alone in the world. I have yet to come out to the world but that is OK because I am not the only one that is gay. I just want to say thank you! This website means so much to me! Thank you so much!
-” Greg, aged 16.

Mogenic provides same-sex-attracted youth with a safe, free personals system, where each individual member can generate their own profile and photo album that is searchable by all members. By implementing the new personals technology, Mogenic is able to offer users a way to make contact with other members, which may reduce the sense of isolation that most of the same-sex-attracted young people who use the site are inevitably surrounded by.

Mogenic’s online magazine is updated weekly, and many contributions come from readers of the site. Each issue contains information about events, issues of importance, news, personal stories and reviews of music, films, books and events. As well as providing content, Mogenic users also provide support by volunteering, offering in-kind services (such as printing) and backing Mogenic events.

Approximately 250 young people attended the Mogenic dance party (the first of many planned) in 2001, held at Tantra Nightclub in Darlinghurst. DJs Jake Kilby, Alex Taylor and Animate supported the historic night with their showcase talents. Vanity Faire also performed a brilliant show especially choreographed for Mogenic with two backing dancers. Overall the entire debut event was widely acknowledged as a resounding success.

Mogenic is already planning a whole range of exciting new events for the often forgotten young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth age bracket. Check the sidebar for details on Mogenic FM, Skool’s Out, Team Mogenic and the new V2 Personals.

The Mogenic steering committee (pictured) has been established, which has created the opportunity for talented professionals and proactive young people to collaborate with Mish and Sebastian in discussing ideas and volunteering their experience and expertise. This small band of dedicated volunteers supports Mogenic at their own cost, and often out of their own pocket.

Mogenic receives no government funding and any donations received are prioritised for services and resources which continue to increase the security, useability and relevance of the site for its valued users.

Enquiries, interest or comments about Mogenic.com are always welcomed and valued. Please visit www.mogenic.com or email [email protected] for any queries or further information.