Cyndi Lauper: We Need To End LGBT Youth Homelessness

Cyndi Lauper pens this essay on LGBT youth homelessness for The Advocate:

It’s an election year and there’s a lot of talk about what our nation’s priorities need to be for the next four to eight years. What we have to make sure is not forgotten is the epidemic of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth homelessness. Up to 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBT, yet fewer than 7 percent of kids nationwide are LGBT. That discrepancy is outrageous, and it’s something we can’t ignore. That’s why, on April 27, 2016, we will raise our voices for #40toNoneDay: a national day organized by the True Colors Fund to raise public awareness about LGBT youth homelessness.

While family rejection is the most commonly cited reason for LGBT youth homelessness, it’s just one piece of the puzzle — a very big puzzle. We need to make sure we’re seeing the whole picture.

People often think that because they don’t work at a homeless shelter, they don’t have a role to play. The reality is: everyone can make a difference! Think of it this way: Kids experiencing homelessness come into contact with more than just the good folks working at shelters. They also go to coffee shops and libraries. They ride the bus. They’re on the Internet. You may interact with them on a regular basis without even realizing it. We all need to put our heads together to make sure these young people can get support wherever they go — and be themselves when they get there.

Right now people all across America are making a difference. A 24-hour diner owner in North Carolina is giving kids a place to stay when they have nowhere else to go. A library in Indiana is letting kids without a permanent address use computers to access lifesaving resources. In Minnesota police officers are using an app developed by the community to help kids find shelters with available beds. There are many more possibilities that have yet to be explored. That’s why we need to keep the conversation going.

Youth are our future, but they’re also our present. We need to make these kids our priority now. If we don’t, where will they be in five, 10, 20 years? Where will our country be? Even if we all agree that ending LGBT youth homelessness needs to be a priority, how can we rise above the noise and make our message heard? Our voices are stronger when we say something together. Last year, #40toNoneDay reached more than 17 million people. How many more can we reach this year?

CYNDI LAUPER is a Tony-, Emmy-, and Grammy-winning writer, actor, and musician. She is also the cofounder of the True Colors Fund, which combats LGBT youth homelessness.

Radio Show: Carl Siciliano Of The Ali Forney Center Talks Homeless LGBT Youth

Carl Siciliano, founder/Executive Director of The Ali Forney Center

With the Ali Forney Center's funding raising effort continuing in hopes of purchasing the anti-gay ATLAH Church in Harlem, I wanted to share my radio show interview with founder and Executive Director Carl Siciliano.

I'm really proud of this interview from my companion  radio show - The Randy Report on BlogTalkRadio.

Carl Siciliano talks with me about the current #HarlemNoHate Campaign which aims to raise funds to help the Center purchase a church in Harlem to expand it's services for homeless LGBT youth.

The poetic irony is that the pastor of the church, Rev. James Manning, has spent years spewing vitriolic hate speech towards the LGBT community in Harlem.

Pastor Manning is notorious for signage at the church with messages such as “Jesus would stone homos” and that all supporters of LGBT people should be cursed with cancer, HIV, madness, and eternal damnation.

"The biggest reason our youths are driven from their homes is because of homophobic and transphobic religious beliefs of their parents. If we are able to obtain the space it would truly be a triumph of love over hatred," says Siciliano.

The church is being put up for auction due to unpaid bills and tax liens on February 24th. The goal of the #HarlemNoHate campaign is to purchase the church and make what was once a place that put religious-based hate on broad display, and turn it into a safe haven for young LGBT.

The Ali Forney Center is the largest and most comprehensive organization in the nation dedicated to housing LGBT youth. AFC serves youth aged 16-24, and provides emergency and transitional housing, street outreach, a drop-in center, medical and mental health treatment, a vocational/educational program, and a counseling project for the families of LGBT youth.

Listen as we talk about the difficulties homeless LGBT youth face and how you can help.

You can donate to the #HarlemNoHate campaign by clicking here.

NYC: Ali Forney Center Raises $200K To Purchase Anti-Gay Harlem Church

Via press release:

Less than two weeks after the ATLAH church, home of virulently anti-LGBT Rev. James David Manning, announced it had been foreclosed and was being put up for auction, the Ali Forney Center launched the #harlemnohate campaign and has raised $200,000 as an initial goal towards buying the building to provide housing for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) homeless youth in Harlem.

“It has been an extraordinary two weeks,” said Carl Siciliano, Executive Director and Founder of the Ali Forney Center. “We have been overwhelmed with support and encouragement and now have the opportunity to turn a place that has promoted hatred and violence into a safe space for LGBT homeless youth,” continued Siciliano.

“Ali Forney, who inspired the founding of the organization, was murdered in Harlem in 1997, only 12 blocks from ATLAH. In 2013 Islan Nettles was beaten to death in Harlem only one mile from ATLAH. Could there be a more just outcome to the ATLAH foreclosure than that the young LGBT people most endangered by the hatred and contempt Manning promotes would take over his building?” said Siciliano.

“AFC’s acquiring the beautiful and historic building that now stands as a symbol of hate would be extraordinary, but the bottom line is this: the Ali Forney Center has 200 youths per night on the waiting list for our beds. As an organization, we have no obligation more urgent than to increase our capacity to provide housing to these vulnerable youth. With the support of the Harlem community, those who have contributed and many others offering to help, we approach the February 24th auction with confidence and hope. Given the real estate market in Harlem we anticipate the bidding will go significantly higher than the $1.02M owed and we are in discussion with potential developers and investors to acquire the building and we anticipate having a partner by the time of the auction. We will continue fundraising through the #HarlemNoHate campaign and make every effort to be in as strong a position as possible to acquire the building,” concluded Siciliano.

To contribute to the campaign, supporters can go to http://harlemnohate.org

Anti-Gay Harlem Church Could Become A Haven For Homeless LGBT Youth

A Harlem church, which has become a symbol of hate and homophobia, may present an opportunity to be repurposed as a haven for homeless LGBT youth.

Via Huffington Post:

A New York state judge has ordered the ATLAH World Missionary Church to be sold at a public foreclosure auction, according to court records cited by DNAinfo New York. The church, which has been known to display messages like "Jesus would stone homos" and "Obama has released the homo demons on the black man" on its billboard, has reportedly amassed debts and tax liens totaling more than $1.02 million.

The Harlem church could prove to be a commodity in Manhattan's cutthroat real estate market. But the Ali Forney Center, an advocacy group dedicated to homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens and young adults, hopes that an online fundraiser will help raise $200,000 to secure the property as housing for its clients.

Carl Siciliano, who is the Ali Forney Center's founder and executive director, said in a press release that repurposing the church to house homeless LGBT youth would "truly be a triumph of love over hatred."

"The biggest reason our youths are driven from their homes is because of homophobic and transphobic religious beliefs of their parents," he said. "Because of this, it has been horrifying for us to have our youths exposed to Manning's messages inciting hatred and violence against our community. It has meant the world to us that so many Harlem residents have stood up to support our young people, and are now urging us to provide urgently needed care at the site of so much hatred."

LGBT rights activist Scott Wooledge, who is working with the Ali Forney Center to raise the funds to buy the church and has raised over $200,000 for homeless youth over the past two years, echoed those sentiments.

"We, as a community, have a golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to turn what was once a center of appalling hate into a home where our youth can be safe, nurtured, supported and thrive into self-sufficient adults," he told The Huffington Post in an email. "Let's seize the day, and turn the page on an ugly chapter in Harlem's history."

Siciliano has announced that should the Ali Forney Center not able to obtain the building, any funds raised will be utilized to increase its housing and vocational services for homeless LGBT youth in another site.

This is a wonderful chance to do something really beautiful. Please consider donating here.

You can follow the fundraising goals here.

Viral Video: New Yorker Gives Homeless Man The Shirt Off His Back In Freezing Temperatures

Just when you might begin to lose faith in humanity, this New Yorker literally gives a homeless man the shirt off his back.

Lazaro Nolasco posted this video Friday night after witnessing the exchange during a subway ride on the Upper West Side.

From the New York Daily News:

“It was just us on the train,” said Nolasco, whose video of the encounter went viral.

“The guy didn’t have a shirt on,” he told the Daily News. “His body looked sick.”

The 21-year-old watched the man take off his shirt and give it to the man-in-need as nighttime temperatures in Manhattan neared freezing. His generosity left him with only a muscle tank to shelter him from the elements.

The conversation between both men is inaudible during the nearly two-minute video, but Nolasco recalled that the good Samaritan asked if the man needed a shirt.

“You want to go to a hospital,” he asked next.

The man said "yes" on both counts.

“The guy did a good deed, so I wanted to record it,” Nolasco added. “I would tell him, ‘God bless him.’ That was thoughtful.”

The video has been viewed over 9 million times since Friday night

Miren este Video Wow 󾌺󾍁󾮖🏻 Este hombre se merese muchas bendisiones por la buena accion que Hizo 󾍛🏻 Dios Lo bendiga amen☺️ y aPrendan 󾭻 y Lo hizo sin esperar nada acambio 󾮞🏼󾮞🏼☺️ nesesitamos más personas como el 󾭈 SI ALGUIEN LO CONOSE ETIQuETELO 󾔯 󾍛🏻󾌡 God bless him
Posted by Läzaro El Feo on Friday, January 8, 2016

Boston: Brothers Cite Donald Trump As Inspiration After Beating Hispanic Man

Scott (L) and Steve Leader (R)

Two brothers from South Boston, Steve and Scott Leader, have been arrested after allegedly targeting, attacking, beating and ultimately urinating on a homeless man because he is Hispanic.

From the Boston Globe:

Police said two brothers from South Boston ambushed the 58-year-old as he slept outside of a Dorchester MBTA stop, and targeted him because he is Hispanic. One of the brothers said he was inspired in part by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The allegations ignited widespread condemnation Wednesday.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh said the brothers “should be ashamed of themselves.” Boston’s top prosecutor, Daniel F. Conley, called the case “sickening.”

Police Commissioner William B. Evans, a South Boston resident, said the brothers had given his neighborhood “a bad name.” He called it “a disgrace.”

Trump, told of the alleged assault, said “it would be a shame . . . I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again. They are passionate.”

Trump, in his campaign kickoff speech in June, made disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants that advocates feared could cause a backlash against immigrants.

According to reports, Scott Leader told the police, “Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported.”

And Trump's reaction? "People who are following me are very passionate???"

Wow.

Miley Cyrus Launches Happy Hippie Foundation To Help Homeless, LGBT Youth

Miley Cyrus announces the launch of The Happy Hippie Foundation today with a rocking assist from Joan Jett on their new music video "Different."

The Happy Hippie Foundation is dedicated to fight the injustices faced by homeless youth, LGBT youth and other vulnerable populations.

To learn more about the foundation, click here: http://miley.lk/happyhippie

Social Experiment: Homeless NYC Teen In 5 Degree Weather

Social experiment: a homeless teen in NYC, in freezing cold.

15 million views on Youtube.

The video helped raise almost $15,000 to clothe homeless folks.

Favorite Tweet Of The Day: Cyndi Lauper

Think On This...

(graphic via Memeographs)

I want you to think on this:

As thousands of anti-gay folks pour hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars into a fund to help middle-class pizza restaurant owners in Indiana 'cope' with going public with their anti-gay animus:

• Homeless shelters go begging for funds to help those out in the freezing cold.

• Food pantries hope for contributions to help those who are hungry. Every. Single. Day.

• LGBT youth turned out by their families for being who they are search for a safe place to lay their heads for the night.

But folks who can proudly stand and say they wouldn't accept payment to feed a celebration of love of a same-sex couple are looking at a windfall of over $840,000.

29,000 have donated to help a middle-class family that owns a pizza restaurant.

Where were they for the homeless and hungry?

Tell me again how "Christ-like" they are...

Better yet - show me.

Here's MY call to action.

LGBT activist Scott Wooledge has launched a campaign to raise funds to help Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund, which helps homeless LGBT youth. Can I ask you to hit this link and donate?

Anything. $5. $10. Whatever. It all helps.

And then, one more favor - can you share that link on social media?

Show the world love is stronger than hate.

Fort Lauderdale: Police Cite Clergy and Activists for Feeding The Homeless

Photo: Mike Clary

One of the justifications you hear when public services are cut for the poor is, "That's what the churches are for."

Well, now, it's against the law for even clergy to help the homeless in Fort Lauderdale.

Two members of the clergy and a 90 year old homeless advocate were cited with violating a new city ordinance which makes it a crime to feed the homeless:

Arnold Abbott, who heads the group Love Thy Neighbor, said he had served only three or four of about 300 meals he had prepared when police ordered him to stop.

Abbott, the Rev. Mark Sims, of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Coral Springs, and the Rev. Dwayne Black, pastor of The Sanctuary Church in Fort Lauderdale, were each cited for willfully violating a city ordinance. Police issued them notices to appear in court, where they could be asked to explain their actions.

The ordinance, approved by the city commission Oct. 22, is one of several recent efforts by officials to crack down on the city's burgeoning downtown homeless population.

The latest law, which took effect Friday, limits where outdoor feeding sites can be located, requires the permission of property owners and says the groups have to provide portable toilets.

Abbott, who has won past legal battles with the city over feeding restrictions, has vowed to go to court again.

"We are simply trying to feed people who are hungry," said Sims. "To criminalize that is contrary to everything that I stand for as a priest and as a person of faith."

Read more at the Sun-Sentinel.

Atlanta: Daniel Pierce thanks his supporters at Lost-N-Found open house

Executive Director Rick Westbrook of Lost-N-Found, an Atlanta organization that cares for homeless LGBT youth, introduces 19-year-old Daniel Pierce.

Pierce's video documenting the physical and verbal abuse he suffered at the hands of his family as he came out went viral two weeks ago. The reaction to the video was so strong, it lead to the creation of a crowd funding campaign to help him with living expenses since he was thrown out of his home. With a goal of $2,000, the campaign raised over $94,000 in days.

Pierce has asked supporters to stop donating to the fund and divert their charitable donations to Lost-N-Found, the Atlanta group that cares for homeless LGBT youth and helped Pierce.

Pierce is also donating a portion of the money raised on his behalf to the homeless shelter.

Earlier this year the organization acquired a 7,000 square foot building to expand their shelter resources.

Georgia: Young gay turned out by family directs donations to local homeless shelter

A Georgia man, Daniel Ashley Pierce, who's video depicting physical abuse by family members during his coming out went viral, has seen a crowd-funding campaign set up in his name soar to almost $100,000 in funds to help him.

Now, Daniel has asked his friends to stop donating to the campaign and direct donations to an Atlanta-based LGBT homeless shelter.  From Daniel:

Thank you to everyone from around America and all over the world for your support in the past several days. This has been a rough time for me and I never imagined that so many people would show such overwhelming compassion and generosity.

[snip]

I’ve asked my friends to discontinue donations to the GoFundMe page, but if you would still like to give money and help the LGBTQ youth homeless crisis, please visit the Lost-n-Found Youth website at www.Lost-n-Found.org for more information on how you can make a difference for the many other kids in the world like me.

Rick Westbrook, Executive Director for Lost-n-Found, says the organization has received approximately $10,000 in funds from Daniel's request.

Beating death and homelessness, teenager becomes valedictorian and inspiration

Facing down homelessness, the death of his mother and numerous other hardships, Griffin Furlong never missed a class and has graduated with a perfect GPA from First Coast High School becoming the 2014 valedictorian.

The word "inspiring" doesn't begin to describe what Griffin has done for himself and many others.

Griffin’s friends started a fundraiser to help him throughout his time at Florida State University.  Currently, the total raised exceeds $100K.  Click the link to donate anything you can to help a guy who's helped himself.

Go Griffin!

(source)

Independent Living

Sunday morning - Downtown Sacramento, California.

The building sign hovering over the homeless man made for a sadly ironic sight.

NYC: LGBT Rally for Homeless Youth on June 2nd

The National Coalition for the Homeless and the Ali Forney Center have joined together to launch the National Campaign for Youth Shelter, a collaboration that will build a grassroots campaign to demand a national response to youth homelessness.

On Monday, June 2nd the National Campaign for Youth Shelter will hold a rally in New York City to launch the campaign as a priority within the LGBT movement. LGBT youth are disproportionately over-represented in the homeless youth population, with as many as 40% of the nation's homeless youth being LGBT, while only 5% of the overall youth population is LGBT.

Edith Windsor, David Mixner, Cathy Marino-Thomas, and Carl Siciliano are a few of the names announced as speakers for the event.

Currently, there are only approximately 4,000 youth shelter beds in the United States, yet as many as 500,000 unaccompanied youths experience homelessness each year.

(via the event's Facebook page)

Homeless Center Director Carl Siciliano on Phil Robertson debacle

Graphic via Memeographs

"When Phil Robertson and others condemn LGBT people in the name of Christ, they help create a climate where many religious parents condemn their LGBT children.

"The Ali Forney Center is inundated with youths from across the country who have been thrown out of their homes by religious parents who rejected them. Over 200,000 LGBT youths are enduring homelessness in the USA.

"LGBT youth will not be safe until more Christians follow the example of Jesus Christ, who never uttered a word in judgment or condemnation of LGBT people."

- A Statement from Ali Forney Center Executive Director, Carl Siciliano, regarding Phil Robertson.

Video: LGBTQ Connect in San Francisco

Award-winning filmmaker Marc Smolowitz directed & produced this 7 minute video for various nonprofit partners in San Francisco that collaborated on the 1st ever LGBTQ Connect - an event designed to help the City's LGBT Homeless population.


The event was held on Oct. 7th, 2013 at the SF LGBT Center.

You can find out how to volunteer in San Francisco at Project Homeless Connect.

Follow the organization at their Facebook page.

Hosted by The Mayor's Office of HOPE, Project Homeless Connect, and AIDS Housing Alliance, the day was sponsored by Metta Fund, Sass Social Justice Fund of Horizons Foundation, Dignity Fund, Haas, Jr. Foundation.

Tampa City Council passing new ordinance - sleeping in public is now illegal

 Making life just that much tougher for the homeless, the Tampa City Council passed a new ordinance - Item #60 - allowing police officers to arrest someone they see sleeping in public or “storing personal property in public."  In doing so, the City Council has basically criminalized homelessness.  The vote was 4-3.

Advocates protested holding signs reading “Sleeping Is Not A Crime” and “Homelessness Is Not A Choice” outside the Council and testified against the measure. A number of the protesters were elementary school children who handed out flyers and asked those passing by, “Where are they supposed to go?”

A 2012 study found that Tampa's homelessness problem is one of the worst among mid-sized cities. Tampa and it's surrounding area had the highest number of homeless individuals at 7,419.

In addition, homeless shelters are not free in Tampa, making the proposition of getting off the streets that much more difficult.  “Most shelters in the Tampa Bay area charge $10 to $42 per night for a single person. They aren’t free,” Tasha Rennels, a Ph.D. student at University of South Florida, told Bay News 9.

Though the City Council acknowledged that shelters in the city are full almost every night, they didn’t include any additional funding for new shelters or housing to go along with Item #60.

(source)

Benefit for Ali Forney Center on July 17th - "Oasis"

Summer benefit for the Ali Forney Center, which works with homeless LGBT youth, July 17th at Chelsea Piers.

Click here for ticket info.