A brief history of the Ali Forney center for LGBT youth , NYC

by smkovalinsky | October 28, 2009 at 02:32 pm

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Since posting this story for Now Public, I became interested in this youth center for LGBT Youth. Here is a brief history:
The need for the center has grown as younger kids come out as LGBT and are rejected by their families. In the past, people did not know they were gay, or were not ready to acknowledge this fact to others, until they had left home and were living on their own ( something that used to be far more economically feasible, as well).

"Dr. Robert Reid-Pharr was in New York City walking his dog one morning when he was approached by a young black teenager. He appeared to be 15- or 16-years-old with slightly feminine mannerisms, Reid-Pharr said later. He propositioned the professor: sex in exchange for food. Like so many other homeless gay youth in New York City, the young man in front of Reid-Pharr has resorted to prostitution in order to survive."

Reid-Like the young man who Reid-Pharr encountered, gay youth take to the streets for a variety of reasons, some resorting to hustling to survive. Whether they are kicked out by their families for being gay or are forced to leave to escape abuse, staying at home may not be an option for many gay youth.
According to a 2007 study done by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 20 to 40 percent of homeless youth in the United States identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual. The same study also found that there are between 15,000 and 20,000 homeless youth in New York City, of whom 3,000 to 8,000 are LGBT.

Even when they are able to live at home, a gay kid’s life may not be easy. Bullying and a lack of support are pervasive problems in schools. A 1997 Massachusetts Department of Education Survey found that gay students hear anti-gay slurs as often as 26 times each day. Faculty intervention occurs in only about 3 percent of those cases.

Yet national attention for gay youth seems to be limited to only the most extreme stories, like the 2008 murder of Lawrence King, an openly gay 15-year-old student who was shot and killed by a fellow classmate.

When gay children are being murdered by their classmates, why are the issues of gay youth not more widely covered?

Carl Siciliano, the executive director of the Ali Forney Center, a housing center in New York City for homeless gay youth, explained why he believes gay youth are sometimes ignored or overlooked in the wide spectrum of gay rights. Siciliano believes that a new generation of gay youth has risen up, different from past generations of gay men and women who were accustomed to coming out later in life.

Kids are coming out earlier than in previous generations, Siciliano said, and gay organizations are only now paying attention.

"Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, according to the Massachusetts 2006 Youth Risk Survey."

The rejection by piers while growing up can cause serious problems for any youth, and someone who is not sure of themselves(sexually) is at a greater risk, especially if they have no support.

As to why most GLTB groups don't work as well with helping the youth, well just think a bit...

We have some draconian laws in regards to "sex crimes" and all it take for a pissed off kid to get an adult in trouble is to cry "rape". Even if nothing happened, the person accused will be in a bad spot. I know many gay adults are careful about interactions with kids (me included) for that very reason....

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A brief history of the Ali Forney center for LGBT youth , NYC

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