Seeking A Home: Ali Forney Forum Addresses the Needs of LGBT Youth

NEW YORK - MAY 2011 - On May 3, the Ali Forney Center, the nation's largest organization working on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) homeless youth, hosted a forum, "Sleeping in the streets or walking down the aisle? Prioritizing LGBT youth in our struggle for equality," at New York's LGBT Community Center. The forum, which was preceded by a rally and march which commenced at Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, the city's largest LGBT synagogue, drew a packed crowd of hundreds in one of the Center's largest rooms.

The panel was moderated by LGBT public relations professional Cathy Renna, and panelists included: Carl Siciliano, executive director of the Ali Forney Center; Nico Sifra Quintana of the Center for American Progress; New York City Councilmember Lew Fidler; University of Pennsylvania Law professor Tobias Barrington Wolff, and journalist Kai Wright.

The forum tackled a variety of topics related to the struggles of homeless LGBT youth, including the complex relationship between youth issues and other LGBT rights issues such as marriage equality, racial and economic justice, and the all-too-common lack of interest in addressing LGBT youth homelessness from both elected officials and the mainstream media.

Moreover, a number of youths shared their experiences of being rejected by their families for being LGBT and of suffering homelessness. One young man described how his mother, upon learning that he was gay, said that she would rather die than have a gay son, and that she hoped he died in a hate crime. He also described seeking help from a youth shelter run by a religious organization where he was subjected to repeated gay-bashings by the other residents, and was made to attend a religion class where the instructor told him that being gay meant he was possessed by a demon and going to hell.

Another youth described the despair and hopelessness that youth combat on the streets, recounting how one of his friends tried to end her life by throwing herself in front of a subway car. Several of their testimonies can be viewed here.

Said Siciliano: "I was very inspired by the passion and urgency in that packed room. A strong voice is rising up from the LGBT community, demanding that our youth be protected from homelessness. I believe I was witnessing a historic turning point, where our community is finally opening its eyes to see the epidemic of LGBT youths suffering from family rejection and homelessness. I came away determined to work with others to translate this awareness and concern into a plan to better protect our youth."

The Ali Forney Center (AFC) was started in June of 2002 in response to the lack of safe shelter for LGBT youth in New York City. AFC is committed to providing these young people with safe, dignified, nurturing environments where their needs can be met, and where they can begin to put their lives back together. AFC is dedicated to promoting awareness of the plight of homeless LGBT youth in the United States with the goal of generating responses on local and national levels from government funders, foundations, and the LGBT community.