Programs supporting LGBT homeless youth at risk of being eliminated

Tiamara Whetstone, youth intern at the Center (Photo courtesy of the
   SF LGBT Community Center) 

---

Related Articles

• Alicia Keys supports same-sex marriage

• Laura Bush supports same-sex marriage (video)

• Activists rally to add LGBT community to the Civil Rights Act

• Cyndi Lauper, Kelly Osbourne, & Margaret Cho support the LGBT community (video)

Pride has come and gone in San Francisco, and the community has a lot to be thankful for. Two of the greatest lawyers in the country (Olsen and Boise) are defending the LGBT community’s right to marry and it looks like we may actually win this round in the Supreme Court. Victoria Kolakowski is in the lead and will become the first ever transgender superior court judge in the United States if she can win the election in Alameda County this November. Also, earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the University of California Hastings College of the law’s policy of requiring all funded student groups to be open to all students. Their ruling means that schools can choose not to fund or recognize organizations that discriminate against LGBT people.

Even though a lot of great things are happening for the LGBT community in California, there are still areas of concern. For example, the mayor’s new budget removes all funding for the Center’s Homeless Youth Program, the only program in all of San Francisco serving the specific needs of the city’s estimated 800-1,200 homeless queer youth.

Youth intern Devyn at City Hall rally
against budget cuts (Photo courtesy
of the SF LGBT Community Center) 

Sub programs that are at risk of being eliminated include a weekly meal night which provides warm meals to youth in need, the Free Your Mind program which helps queer youth grow through artistic expression, and the Center’s youth internship program which employs people for 6 months and helps them learn basic job skills as they transition into the workforce.

“These programs build a sense of community and family which many are lacking because they have been kicked out of their homes for being LGBT,” said Roberto Ordeñana, Director of Community Development at the SF LGBT Community Center. 

“What’s going to happen now?” said Tiamara Whetstone, one of the youth interns at the Center. “Where will they go next?” Whetstone is talking about young people like Alex Cress, who encountered increasing abuse from students and teachers alike after coming out in the 7th grade. An A-student, he was kicked out of multiple schools for doing things like wearing a T-shirt that said “I Like Boys.” Not finding support at home, he eventually dropped out of school. Watch the video below of Alex on View From the Bay, where he talks about his hardship and how he found support at the Center.

Local activist Kip Williams did a short video documenting the stories of LGBT youth in San Francisco who seek help from the Center. “As we give ourselves fully to the movement for equality and civil rights, keep in mind that we have a community to take care of as well,” Kip explains in the video. “Young queer folks come here looking for a better life, and they find it extremely challenging to meet their basic needs. We shouldn’t have to choose between freedom and safety on the one hand, and food and housing on the other.”

The Center is currently seeking donations to help substitute for some of the funds that will be lost in the mayor’s budget cuts. People can make donations by going to their website. Donations will help ensure that the Center can still provide valuable services to LGBT youth.

“My first meal night, I met people I’m still in contact with now,” Whetstone said. “Breaking this up is like breaking up the family. I hope that doesn’t happen.”

Do you enjoy reading Eric's articles? Make sure you stay on top of LGBT news by having future articles delivered right to your inbox. Just click the "Subscribe" link above. Your email will never be shared with a third party.