Colors+ is a Cleveland-based LGBT youth center that provides programming and mental health services for LGBT youth. In addition, Colors+ provides programming for the parents of LGBT youth on how to raise their children. ¹

The organization hosts “drag storytime hour” events with drag queens for children. ²

Background and Activities

Colors+ was founded in 2018 ³ by Kristen Pepera and their wife Lisa, two clinical counselors, whom also identified as “Kameron” and “Lennon.” ^{4 5} As of 2025, both are no longer with the organization. ¹

In September 2023, the Colors+ building in Fairview Park, Ohio was vandalized by a man who painted racial slurs on the building’s windows. ² In an interview with journalists, Colors+ co-founder “Kameron” claimed that incident “marked the arrival of a national surge in anti-LGBTQ+ violence” at their “doorstep,” and refused to provide a last name for security reasons. ²

In collaboration with Drag Queen Story Hour Cleveland, Colors+ provides both general drag story hour programming, ² and “drag tutorials,” in which adults teach youth the “fundamentals of drag.” ² The group claims that through the events “Youth are able to creatively express themselves in a safe, affirming, and age-appropriate way.” ²

Finances

According to their 2022 990 form, Colors+ reported a revenue of $328,890, $177,567 in expenses, and $237,247 in total assets. ⁶

According to their 2021 990 form, Colors + reported a revenue of $146,465, $32,517 in expenses, and $130,022 in total assets. ⁷

In 2021, Colors+ received a two-year $134,000 grant for operating expenses and capacity building from the Three Arches Foundation. ⁸ The grant allowed the organization to secure a three-year lease on a 3,500 square foot property. ⁸

1. “Home” Colors+, Accessed April 1, 2025. https://www.colorsplus.org/
2. Comeriato, H.L.  “‘We’re not going anywhere’: A targeted Ohio LGBTQ+ center fights back against racist, anti-LGBTQ+ violence.” The Buckeye Flame. September 21, 2023. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://thebuckeyeflame.com/2023/09/21/colors-youth-center-fights-back/
3. “COLORS+ Youth Center Youth Center.” Centerlink. https://www.lgbtqcenters.org/LGBTCenters/Center/6904/COLORS-Youth-Center
4. “Support center in Fairview Park focuses on LGBTQ youth.” News 5 Cleveland, July 5, 2021. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/oh-cuyahoga/support-center-in-fairview-park-focuses-on-lgbtq-youth
5. “Help Defend Lennon & Kameron’s Rights.” GoFundMe, Accessed April 1, 2025. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-defend-lennon-kamerons-rights
6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Colors Plus. 2022. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/824726625/202400339349300615/full
7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Colors Plus. 2021. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/824726625/202241279349201204/full
8. “Colors+ Youth Center offers a safe haven for LGBTQ+ kids, under attack by Ohio’s proposed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law: Leslie Kouba.” Cleveland.com. April 20, 2022. Accessed October 19, 2023. https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2022/04/colors-youth-center-offers-a-safe-haven-for-lgbtq-kids-under-attack-by-ohios-proposed-dont-say-gay-law-leslie-kouba.html