Pallone intervenes in flap between LGBT community and TV actor Cameron

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6), Long Branch, today stepped into a spat between Hollywood actor Kirk Cameron and New Jersey’s gay and lesbian community.

On the heels of anti-gay statements he made, the actor is scheduled to be in Ocean Grove this weekend to talk about his take on traditional values. Incoming, he rejected a plea by a member of Garden State Equality’s Youth Caucus who objects to Cameron’s past denunciations of gay and lesbian lifestyles.

“These courageous young people are heartbroken by Mr. Cameron’s response, and so am I,” Pallone wrote in a letter to Cameron’s manager. “As a Member of Congress, I have been disturbed by Mr. Cameron’s statements regarding marriage equality, but I am confounded by his reaction to a teen who reached out to him seeking a meaningful conversation.”

The teen in question is Corey Bernstein.

“He usually flies in the day of the event and after the event is actually traveling to the next one,” Cameron manager Mark Craig wrote to Bernstein in response to the young man’s query for an interview with the actor.

“Because of this intense schedule, there is not time to set up extra meetings like you are suggesting,” the manager added. “That being said I would normally just write a simple reply, ‘Thanks for your invitation, however Kirk’s schedule will not permit,’ but because you have taken some time to share some of your feelings, Kirk asked me to personally thank you on his behalf for your kind invitation and is very sorry he can not attend because of the schedule that weekend.  I also want to thank you for taking the time to write and share your heart in your letter.  For this reason, I want to share this thought with you, from someone who sees and works with Kirk almost every day of the year - I promise you his goal is not one of trying to hurt people in any way, in fact it is just the opposite. He has a concern for their well being – not only now, but eternally.  He goes out to share a positive message through events like this weekend and I assure you he will only be presenting a positive/inspiring message.”

Bernstein wasn’t appeased.

Neither was Pallone.

“I read the letter Corey wrote you, describing how he and other bullied LGBT teens were devastated by Mr. Cameron’s statements that being LGBT is ‘unnatural,’ ‘detrimental’ and ‘destructive to our civilization,’” the congressman wrote to Craig. “These statements and others made by Mr. Cameron leave little doubt that he believes LGBT people cannot find the happiness in their marriages that non-LGBT people find in theirs.

“The tenor of Mr. Cameron’s words is astonishingly hurtful to LGBT youth struggling with their self-esteem in a world where they and their LGBT peers are often the victims of merciless bullying,” wrote Pallone. “I believe your response to Corey only compounds this problem.  You told Corey to listen to Mr. Cameron’s interviews and comments online, when in fact those comments were what prompted Corey, on behalf of himself and the other bullied LGBT teens at Garden State Equality, to write to Mr. Cameron in the first place.  I find it remarkably insensitive for Mr. Cameron to suggest that these teens, once again, expose themselves to the words that so deeply hurt them upon their first encounter.”

The Democratic congressman suggested that Cameron remedy the problem by meeting with the youth who reached out to him.

“Corey made clear that he and the other bullied LGBT teens would appreciate the opportunity to meet with Mr. Cameron just prior to or immediately after either of his two appearances in Ocean Grove this weekend, even if for only a few minutes,” Pallone wrote to Craig.   “As for Garden State Equality’s Youth Caucus luncheon this Saturday in Ocean Grove, which you said Mr. Cameron could not attend due to scheduling conflicts, I will now be there, and I am honored to do so.  But again, that is no substitute for the bullied teens meeting the person whose comments they found so painful.  I appeal to Mr. Cameron to meet with these young people when he is in town.”

Read the original story at Politicker NJ

Bullied LGBT Teens Request Lunch With Kirk Cameron Amid NJ Marriage Event

Activists representing bullied teens of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community (LGBT) have asked actor Kirk Cameron to have lunch with them during his visit to Ocean Grove, N.J., where he will be speaking on biblical marriage.

“In a kind, respectful and constructive way, we’d like to talk to you about the pain your words about being LGBT have personally caused me and other LGBT youth,” 17-year-old Corey Bernstein, a N.J. resident and co-chair of the Youth Caucus at Garden State Equality, wrote in a letter to Cameron and his manager.

“Mr. Cameron, words casting negative judgments about LGBT people not only perpetuate prejudice in our wider society, but also hurt LGBT youth in particular. Some of your public comments about being LGBT have devastated us LGBT youth. We yearn to grow up in a world that provides us dignity and safety. That is our simple, most heartfelt dream,” Bernstein wrote.

The Youth Caucus at Garden State Equality is requesting that Cameron attend a lunch at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 28 at the home of a member of activist group Ocean Grove United. Members of Garden State Equality would also be present.

A spokesperson for Cameron told The Christian Post Wednesday that he was not previously aware of the group’s lunch request. He added that Cameron’s camp was unsure whether the former child star and outspoken Christian would respond to the LGBT youths’ request, as several of Cameron’s interviews have been “taken out of context.”

The Youth Caucus at Garden State Equality is working in conjunction with Ocean Grove United, which is silently protesting Cameron’s presentation in Ocean Grove on July 27 due to his Christian beliefs regarding homosexuality.

“We recognize that Kirk Cameron has a right to his own views regarding marriage, but we must hold him to account for his publicly stated denigrating words about homosexuality. Words hurt and they especially hurt young people,” Ocean Grove United said in a statement emailed to The Christian Post.

Cameron, who starred in the hit 1980s sitcom “Growing Pains,” is presenting a program entitled “Love Worth Fighting For” this Friday at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove. During the program, Cameron will speak on the importance of maintaining a strong bond in traditional marriage.

In light of Ocean Grove United’s plan to protest the event, Cameron has previously said of the event that “all are welcome.”

“I think everyone who comes to the ‘Love Worth Fighting For’ event in Ocean Grove or anywhere else we do this event will feel nothing but welcomed,” Cameron told the Asbury Park Press.

“They will feel loved and cared about and they will be challenged to think about what marriage is really all about – we invite everyone, everyone is welcome,” he added.

Cameron has previously been attacked for his Christian beliefs when he said in a March interview with “Piers Morgan Tonight” that he believes homosexuality is “”unnatural” and “detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.”

The actor later went on numerous shows, including the “Today” show, to clarify that he does not condone the bullying of homosexuals, but rather loves everyone and is simply abiding by his Christian faith.

Read the original story at Christian Post

San Francisco General Hospital to Release “It Gets Better” Video for LGBT Youth

Who’s better qualified to assure LGBT teens that there’s nothing wrong with them than a staff of certified doctors and nurses? Following in the footsteps of the Giants and the San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco General Hospital is releasing its own “It Gets Better” video for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered youth, hoping to help curb the violence and suicides across the nation.

The video, which was filmed in May, features 35 hospital staff members, some of whom share their own stories of being different. One participant talks about his experience with sexual conversion therapy.

“What we’re hoping is that the message gets out to LGBT teens that not only do things get better in general [after high school] … but that these are 30 adults who went through all that, and came out on the other side,” said Tristan Cook, spokesman for SFGH.

The video is part of the national It Gets Better Project, which started in 2010 when a slew of gay teens committed suicide after they were bullied and teased about their sexuality.

Most importantly, the video is meant to let LGBT youth know that their local hospital is a safe place for them to get help without fear of discrimination or bullying.

“Our mission is to provide compassionate care with respect to vulnerable populations and we feel that this is a vulnerable population that we want to reach out to,” Cook explains.

SFGH plans to debut the 10-minute video tomorrow at the hospital. Afterward, the video will be posted online for all to see.

Read the original story at SF Weekly

*Blogger’s note: This makes me smile. I was born at San Francisco General Hospital.

LGBT Youth of Color Have Own Mix of Challenges

LGBT youth of color may have to contend with different factors when dealing with their sexuality and coming out, say Jason Cianciotto and Sean Cahill in the book “LGBT Youth in America’s Schools.” In this excerpt, they explore why and how.

Credit: Seven Seas of Rhye on Flickr, under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 2.0).

(WOMENSENEWS)–The significance of sexuality can vary greatly among different cultural and ethnic groups. LGBT youth of color are likely to face different challenges and stressors in consolidating their racial, ethnic and sexual identities than white, non-Hispanic LGBT youth.

Identity is influenced, in part, by such cultural factors as values and beliefs regarding sexuality, stereotypes about gender roles and expectations about childbearing, religious values and beliefs and the degree of acculturation or assimilation into mainstream society. The tight-knit family structures important to many immigrant communities and communities of color can make the coming-out process more difficult for some LGBT youth. As Trinity Ordona, a cofounder of Asian/Pacific Islander PFLAG in San Francisco notes:

“The families are the core of the culture. When a gay Asian comes out and gets kicked out of the family, it’s like being severed from the heart. But if you get the family on your side they will stand and protect you.”

For children, racial and ethnic identity is an important point of commonality with their families, which provide a vital support system for living in a society in which racism persists. Even when children experience hostility in the outside world because of their race or ethnicity, they come home to a supportive environment anchored by a shared culture.

In contrast, LGBT youth cannot expect to find similar support around sexuality or gender issues at home. In addition, conservative religious beliefs dominate some ethnic minority and immigrant communities. Two-thirds of the 2,700 Black Pride Survey respondents in the year 2000 said homophobia was a problem in the black community. Forty-three percent reported mostly negative experiences in black churches and mosques, while another 31 percent reported equally positive and negative experiences.

Varying Factors

The age at which youth become aware of same-sex attraction and the degree to which they are comfortable coming out to school friends may vary along racial and ethnic lines. Though not generalizable to all LGBT youth, a study of 139 gay men found that Latinos became aware of their same-sex attraction at a younger age compared to white and African American youth. White youth, however, were more likely to come out to their families.

The same study found that Asian American youth were more likely to have sex at an earlier age–three years earlier, on average–than other racial or ethnic groups. The majority of African American youth in the study engaged in sex before labeling their sexual identity, while Asian American youth overwhelmingly engaged in sex only after labeling themselves as gay or bisexual. A 1996 study reported that African American youth had more optimistic attitudes than whites about coming out to their friends, believing that their heterosexual peers would accept them. Most had already come out to their best friends with positive results.

Some researchers have proposed that there are differences in the coming-out process based on race and culture. In one study, Asian American, African American and Latino youth were less likely than white youth to disclose their sexual orientation to family members. Low levels of disclosure of sexual orientation to others were associated with higher levels of internalized homophobia among Latino and Asian American youth.

This dynamic was not the case for African American and white youth. White youth may be more likely to hide their sexual orientation in school, citing fears of harassment and violence. Some researchers suggest that white adolescent students feel less comfortable coming out because they are not accustomed to minority status and have not developed the same coping skills as minority youth.

Compounded By Racism

LGBT youth of color often experience racism in white-dominated LGBT communities, organizations and support networks, which may disproportionately be of service to white, suburban, middle-class LGBT youth. Such LGBT communities may offer fewer resources for urban youth, who are more likely to be black or Latino, and the institutions that do exist may be perceived as “white,” inaccessible or irrelevant to their experiences.

Although sizable and well-organized LGBT communities of color exist, particularly in large urban areas, LGBT youth of color may choose not to connect with them because they fear they will be harassed by their peers. Though these youth are stigmatized on the basis of both race and sexual orientation or gender identity, many find inadequate support as they navigate among three, often compartmentalized communities.

The few researchers and educators who have examined the relationship between sexuality, race and the harassment faced by LGBT youth of color often treat LGBT students’ race as an add-on to their sexuality or gender identity. Initiatives to make schools safer for LGBT students and to integrate LGBT issues into the curriculum sometimes lack an understanding of how the experiences of youth of color differ from those of white LGBT students.

The information that is available seems to assume that because of the stigma of being both a racial and sexual minority, LGBT youth of color have a more difficult school experience. However, that may not always be the case. One researcher found that African American youth who experience same-sex attraction actually had significantly higher self-esteem then their white, Asian or Hispanic peers. While these findings do not discount other studies that have documented the negative experiences of LGBT youth of color, they do highlight the need for more research on the different ways that white youth and youth of color cope with coming out at school.

Jason Cianciotto is an independent consultant specializing in applied research and public policy analysis. Sean Cahill is director of health policy research at the Fenway Institute in Boston and adjunct assistant professor of public administration at New York University.

For More Information:

LGBT Youth in America’s Schools:
http://www.powells.com/partner/34289/biblio/9780472031405?p_ti

 

Read the original story at Women’s News

LGBT service members’ advocacy groups call on Boy Scouts to abandon anti-gay policy

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and OutServe, an association of actively serving LGBT members of the armed forces, on Thursday joined the chorus of advocacy groups calling on the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to abandon its policy against gay scouts and gay and lesbian scout leaders.

Earlier this week, the Boy Scouts, which boasts 2.7 million youth members and more than a million adult volunteers, reaffirmed its anti-gay policy, calling it “absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts.”

The Boy Scouts claimed that an 11-member special committee, formed discreetly by top Scout leaders in 2010, had spent two years reviewing the policy, and concluded that it would not reverse its position, despite online campaigns by gay rights advocates and advocacy groups and recent prodding from board members.

“This discriminatory policy sends a disturbing and indefensible message of bigotry to our nation’s next generation of leaders, many of whom we know will seek a career in our armed forces, where gay and lesbian Americans may now serve openly, said Army Veteran and SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis, who was also a member of Boy Scouts of America in his youth.

“Indeed, scouting historically has provided a steady stream of qualified applicants for the nation’s military service academies.

“It’s time for the Boy Scouts of America to catch up with the new policies in place as a result of the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ lift this outdated and discriminatory ban, and affirm the dignity and contributions of all who wish to serve,” said Sarvis, in a statement.

Sue Fulton — a 1980 West Point graduate and former Army Captain, Executive Director of Knights Out, and member of the OutServe Board of Directors — joined Sarvis in calling for the Boy Scouts of America to abandon the anti-gay policy.

“There should be no place for discrimination in one of America’s most beloved and historic institutions for our youth. The Boy Scouts of America should follow the lead of the Girl Scouts and send a strong and powerful message that there is a place for all young people who want to serve their communities,” she said.

Since its founding in 1910, more than 110 million Americans have been members of the BSA.

 Read the original story at LGBTQ Nation

Op-ed: A Secret Committee Will Not Stop Us

Activist and Eagle Scout Zach Wahls says that what an anonymous group decides can’t stop him and others from making the Boy Scouts more inclusive.

Zach Wahls delivers a petition the BSA earlier this year.

This week, the Boy Scouts of America made a huge national stir by affirming its anti-LGBT policy.

That is to say, they made a huge national stir by doing nothing new.

The only “new” thing about their announcement was the fact that they reached this “decision” by appointing a secret, 11-member subcommittee that “studied” this policy for “two years.” This committee, that had a “variety of beliefs” on this policy, somehow managed to reach a unanimous decision. Twice. According to conflicting reports from the BSA, they first presented their conclusion back in February of this year. Then they presented it (again?) on Tuesday.

The timing of the BSA announcement, however, could not have been more politically expedient. On Monday, 24 hours earlier, the BSA learned that the vice president of their executive board, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, had gone on the record not only opposing their anti-LGBT policy, but also committing to work with fellow board member Jim Turley, Ernst & Young’s CEO, to end it. A few hours later, they learned that Jennifer Tyrrell — the gay den mother ousted from the Boy Scouts who rallied more than 300,000 people to sign her Change.org petition — planned to deliver those signatures to BSA’s Dallas headquarters on Wednesday.

Clearly, somebody inside the BSA decided this was unacceptable.

Having learned that the resolution to end its policy of discrimination actually stood a chance of working its way through the BSA’s executive board, the BSA dropped the hammer, trying to crush this grassroots movement to help the Boy Scouts become more inclusive and accepting.

In their eyes, this issue is now resolved and the book is closed. Indeed, they’ve even stopped answering calls from Fox News.

Fact is, the movement to end the BSA’s antigay policy is ramping up, and is poised to be stronger than ever.

On Wednesday, I launched a Change.org petition demanding transparency and accountability from BSA and a commitment to allowing the executive board to actually vote on ending this anti-gay ban at their May 2013 national conference. As of this writing, this petition at change.org/scoutsvote now has more than 25,000 signatures, with thousands more signing every hour.

In addition, amid all the furor of Tuesday’s announcement, the national media has largely overlooked the fact that yesterday, Minnesota’s largest BSA unit, comprised of over 75,000 members, affirmed its policy of full inclusion for LGBT people. The Northern Star Council has just laid out the roadmap for other scouting bodies for moving forward on this policy.

Scouts for Equality, a group I founded for current and former members of the BSA opposed to this policy, will continue to organize and mobilize units like the Northern Star Council all across the country to adopt policies of full inclusion. We will work with other disenfranchised Scouts — of whom there are many — using Change.org’s online organizing platform to lobby local troops and councils.

No secret committee is going to silence the thousands of scouts and scout leaders who want to see an end to this antigay policy. We will continue to mobilize grassroots support from Eagle Scouts and others to transform scouting into an inclusive organization that values fairness and equality. That’s why, as an Eagle Scout, I’ll be attending the 100th anniversary of the Eagle Scouts at the National Order of the Arrow Conference July 30 through August 4 to rally current scouts and scout leaders to support an end to the antigay ban.

If the BSA is willing to circumvent its own internal process for progressing and growing as an organization, that’s just fine. We’ll circumvent them and take this straight to the grassroots. The BSA operates on a franchise model, after all, so there’s really nothing they can do. Charter organizations (like schools and churches) give access to the BSA — not the other way around.

Secret committees of 11 people do not and will not speak for more than 3 million scouts. Though the old guard at the BSA may be unwilling to change their position, we suspect that the young people actually involved with the organization all across the country will prove more thoughtful.

ZACH WAHLS is an Eagle Scout and the author of My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family.

Read the original at the Advocate

A Life-Changing Experience: ‘Camp Pride’ for LGBT Youth Activism Kicks Off This Week, July 17-22, 2012

This week in Nashville, Tenn., 70 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally students from colleges and universities across the nation come together for Campus Pride’s annual social-justice leadership academy, aptly called Camp Pride.

The only camp of its kind, the summer leadership academy was started in 2007 by Campus Pride, the leading educational organization for LGBT and ally college students and campus groups, and it has quickly become the premier national training ground for LGBT and ally youth activism. The camp, which also includes an “LGBT Professional Academy” for LGBT faculty and advisors, is hosted this year on the campus of Vanderbilt University from July 17 to 22, 2012.

“Campus Pride and the camp experience changed my life forever,” said Mark Travis Rivera, Camp Pride 2011 graduate from William Patterson University in Wayne, N.J. “I met other students from every region in the country, honed my leadership and activism, formed friendships for a lifetime, and developed a broad commitment to social justice, equality, and civic values to help others. Without a doubt, this week at Camp Pride will be life-changing for the new campers.”

Marriage-equality advocate Zach Wahls will be among the many nationally recognized leaders and speakers scheduled to speak at Camp Pride this year. Wahls will also receive an honorary Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Award. Also featured at camp will be Kara Laricks, winner of NBC’s Fashion Star, an out lesbian, and a student leader during her college years. Laricks’ profession as a schoolteacher and her talent and eye for design will serve as inspiration for the LGBT and ally student leaders at Camp Pride. Other speakers and entertainers scheduled to appear at the summer program include Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality; Kit Yan, an Asian, transgender spoken-word artist; Justin Utley, a nationally acclaimed singer/songwriter; and LGBT researcher Sue Rankin, Associate Professor of College Student Affairs and Higher Education and research associate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University.

The 2012 Camp Pride has also garnered the generous support of national corporations, community organizations, and celebrities. Sponsors this year include PepsiCo, Food Lion, Alliance for Full Acceptance, Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, Charlotte Lesbian & Gay Fund, OUTmedia, Vanderbilt University, Wolfe Video, It Gets Better Project, Matthew Shepard Foundation, Davis Brand Capital, Human Rights Campaign, Born This Way Foundation, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Consortium of Higher Education Resource Professionals, Charlotte Pocket Rocket Guide, and Tyvola Design.

Alison Doerfler, executive director of the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, said their support of Campus Pride and the camp “ensures students learn the skills they need to create positive change on their campuses.” This year at camp the StandUp Foundation will partner with Campus Pride to create a new initiative called the Campus Pride StandUp Team. This team of individuals will work actively throughout the year with Campus Pride and the foundation to prevent bullying and harassment within college campus communities.

To learn more about Campus Pride, please visit CampusPride.org. To follow the Camp Pride activities this week, check out Campus Pride’s blog or @CampusPride on Twitter.

Written by Shane L. Windmeyer

Read the original story at Huffington Post

LGBT homeless youth need more than empathy

Photo: Screenshot from Forty to None Project promotional video. (fortytonone.org)

This weekend, headlines in LGBT publications and blogs heeded the news that while impressive progress has been made in the past two years for American gays and lesbians, there is still work to be done. Forty percent of homeless youth are LGBT kids, according to a study done by a collaboration of the Palette Fund, True Colors Fund, the newly-launched Forty to None Project and the Williams Institute titled “LGBT  Homeless Youth Provider Survey.” The issue of homeless gay youth is certainly not new, but the statistic was staggering, considering the recent evolution in public attitude toward homosexuality.

The majority of respondents said they had been rejected by their family. The rosy statistics we’ve been hearing lately of growing acceptance obviously don’t emphasize the point, but a large portion of Americans still don’t favor LGBT rights. Many are so homophobic that they actually turn their backs on their own children, which is a pretty serious line to draw and demonstrates a wider feeling of the public mood. While LGBT acceptance will surely continue to grow, there will be strong resistance from a portion of society which will never in its lifetime recognize gays as equals.

Sadly, this shocking piece of information will probably go to waste. It’s easy to play the victim, but gays are hardly saints. We’re quick to complain about horrible inequality, citing statistics like the one above. Yet instead of doing something to alleviate the problem, we blow off steam with a couple of $10 drinks on Halsted in our designer shoes. Gays could do a lot more to help themselves, but bitching is always easier.

The fact that the agencies surveyed cited lack of funds as the number one barrier for provision of services underscores this point. Five of six hurdles to improved service for LGBT youth relate to lack of funding from all levels of government, non-profits and the public.

Yes, it would be nice if our governments took a stand and made this issue a priority. But let’s be honest — America is in a partisan political mess and major issues like unemployment and uncertain economic prospects concern a far larger segment of the population. That’s not to mention the fact that the new Tea Party GOP, hellbent on austerity and righteously Christian, would hardly ever vote for increased funds for LGBT youth.

It’s time for the gay community to take responsibility for its own fate. We do need government to pass laws that treat us as equal citizens, but recent history has showed that Washington and Springfield cannot wave a magic wand to make all problems disappear. This doesn’t just apply to LGBT issues, but to the economy, the budget, war … the list goes on. In fact, government has become more of a problem in its state of disfunction.

Yet we forget that we have power, too, in the form of money. And whether it be for better or worse, money is power in America. For the LGBT community, this means solving the problems that concern us ourselves. Don’t use  gloomy studies like the one on gay homeless youth to complain about our social situation; take action by donating money to a shelter or food pantry. No one will feel sorry for us if we simply sit around and feel sorry for ourselves.

We can’t immediately change the fact that a segment of the American population thinks we’re an abomination. However, we can make a difference in the lives of the children that are effected by such bigotry. Problems are only solvable when we stop talking about them and take some action. It’s terrible that such a large percentage of the nation’s homeless youths are gay, but they will have hope if we come together as a community to solve the issue instead of trying to place blame.

Written by Matt Watson

Read the original story at Chicago Phoenix

Homeless Youths Gains $3 Million In New York City Funding

Bea Arthur and the Ali Forney Center’s executive director, Carl Siciliano, appear at a center fundraiser in 2005.

For homeless youth and their advocates, the fight for resources can be fierce. New York City has about 4,000 homeless youths — many of whom are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender — yet its government funds just 259 shelter beds. Waiting lists for these beds, particularly at centers that cater to young LGBT homeless people, are growing.

But on Monday, the Ali Forney Center, an organization that provides housing for gay homeless youths in New York, announced some good news for those seeking a shelter bed. The New York City Council and the Manhattan borough president designated $3.3 million to help renovate a city-owned building and transform it into a new 18-bed shelter.

The space will be named after former “Golden Girls” star Bea Arthur. Before her death in 2009, Arthur served as an icon for many gay people and left the Ali Forney Center $300,000 in her will. That year was the height of the recession, when the facility had been in danger of eliminating beds because it had fallen behind on rent, the center’s executive director Carl Siciliano recalled on Monday. And Arthur’s gift to the center prevented that.

Since many young gay people are forced to leave home after coming out to their parents, what Arthur’s support symbolizes is almost as important as the money, Siciliano said. “It’s wonderful for our young people, who have been so rejected, to know that someone as important as Bea Arthur supports them.”

The center will not need to pay rent for the new Bea Arthur Residence, and Siciliano said he thinks the additional space will bring his stability to his agency and the population it serves. “We operate these programs at a real loss and have to do a tremendous amount of private fundraising just to pay the rent,” he said.

The federal government does reimburse a percentage of the Ali Forney Center’s rental costs but this is based on national rental averages, Siciliano added. And Manhattan — the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement, where thousands of gay homeless youth have migrated over the years — is one of the country’s most expensive cities for rentals.

Siciliano didn’t know for sure whether the 18 beds in the new space would immediately result in a net gain in the center’s shelter bed count but thought the city’s donation would likely result in the addition of more beds in the future.

Read the original story at Huffington Post

LGBT youth adrift with closure of Bronx Community Pride Center after ex-head arrested for $338K scam

The Bronx Community Pride Center on Kelly St. is closing its doors and attendees are out on the street, without a meeting place.
DAVID HANDSCHUH/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Joshua Williams found the Bronx Community Pride Center just a few months ago, and right away, the gay 15-year-old from Soundview felt safe there.

The community space for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people shielded Williams from the homophobic slurs and hostile stares he faced on the streets of his rough neighborhood.

But the Pride Center closed for good last Saturday, two weeks after its former executive director was charged with bilking the nonprofit for $338,000, and Williams lost his precious sanctuary.

“I came because I wanted to talk about my personal problems and my sexuality…and it helped,” said Williams, a slender teenager with short hair and a shy smile.

He and a dozen friends gathered at the Pride Center in Longwood last Thursday to vent and pack up art projects, paintings laced with bold colors and angst.

Founded in 1996 as the Bronx Lesbian and Gay Health Resource Consortium, the Pride Center offered services from HIV testing to support groups and dance classes.

It was based for years near the 3rd Ave. Hub but moved to a new location in Longwood last November. The Pride Center served more than 1,000 people at its zenith, including youth and senior citizens.

But Lisa Winters, 42, who headed the nonprofit from 2004 until she was fired in 2010, was arrested June 15 for embezzling a small fortune to pay for exotic vacations and a dog-walker.

Her alleged scam dragged the Pride Center deep into debt, said Robert Lassegue, board member. Meanwhile, the nonprofit lost its most important source of cash, a $100,000 annual grant from the federal government, he said.

It took Lassegue and other board members months to straighten out the books and grasp the full scope of the problem. Last fall, they shed staff and launched a fundraising campaign to rescue the Pride Center but were unable to scare up enough dough, Lassegue said.

The board has enlisted other nonprofits to take on the services it provided. But the Bronx now lacks a brick-and-mortar LGBT haven, said Charly Dominguez, Pride Center youth coordinator and director of the Vision Crew therapeutic art program.

“Growing up in the Bronx, the levels of homophobia are outrageous,” he said. “They face so many obstacles, from being homeless to rejection from family to sex work and domestic violence.

“We used to hand out MetroCards and snacks. For many, that was their source of food and transportation, and now it’s gone.”

Dominguez hopes to continue the Vision Crew elsewhere but fears youngsters like Joshua will “slip through the cracks.”

“I got advice here,” Joshua said, whispering the words. “Now I don’t have anywhere to go.”

Written by Daniel Beekman

Read the original story at New York Daily News