Tag Archives: LGBT youth

Yesterday it took a Florida jury less than 30 minutes to decide that John Ditullio, a 24 year-old neo-Nazi, deserved life in prison without parole for stabbing a 17 year-old boy to death because he was gay. Earlier on Thursday, Ditullio spoke directly to the jury during his sentencing at the West Pasco County Courthouse. “I’m not going to beg …

The Dallas Morning News has named openly gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns as a finalist for their annual Texan Of The Year award. Burns gained national attention for his heartfelt and heartbreaking “It Gets Better” message delivered from his seat during a city council meeting in October. From an editorial in today’s paper: Joel Burns was the picture …

It has been a rough holiday season for the Ali Forney Center. The day after Thanksgiving I received an e-mail from the City of New York, informing me that due to budget problems, they were slashing their support for homeless youth programs, greatly defunding street outreach efforts and drop-in centers. Our drop-in support is being cut in half. I prefer …

Here’s the new Erasure single that I mentioned a couple of days ago. Get it now on iTunes. Proceeds from the track will be donated to The Hetrick-Martin Institute, the home of the Harvey Milk High School, in New York, and the True Colors Fund. The Hetrick-Martin Institute, the nation’s oldest and largest LGBTQ youth service organization, provides a safe …

Administrators and parents at a Utah elementary school are upset because a man who lives adjacent to the school has posted the above signs. Leonard Ridley lives next to Art City Elementary in Springville. He recently posted three signs on his fence, facing the playground after he read news about the recent rash of gay suicides. “The signs of course …

“I’m proud to live in Canada, a country that supports gay marriage, because I can speak openly about it to my child. Children shouldn’t be raised in a bubble. There’s nothing wrong with it, so why wouldn’t I treat it as normal? Nothing makes me more brokenhearted than seeing people who feel they can’t be themselves. It’s such a crime. …

As part of an anti-bullying campaign, Erasure has re-recorded their classic A Little Respect with the LGBT youth chorus from New York City’s high school for at-risk gay youth. A colourful new video for the track, shot in New York City and featuring Erasure lead singer Andy Bell, HMI youth and many other passers-by, will be released as well. The …

The Family Acceptance Project works to help “diverse families understand how to support their LGBT children.” Here’s one of their touching training videos. (There’s a donation button at the link if you’d like to support their work.)

According to a new study published today by Yale researchers, the nation’s courts and schools punish LGBT youth 40% more frequently than their heterosexual peers accused of the same misbehaviors. Lesbian teenagers are especially at risk for discriminatory treatment. The research, described as the first national look at sexual orientation and teen punishment, comes as a spate of high-profile bullying …

Glee is changing America. There’s no way it can’t be.

For a couple of weeks I’ve been following the YouTube channel of a user calling himself “JesseTheStraightGuy.” Jesse says he’s a high school student who has successfully completed an unnamed “ex-gay” program. In this latest clip, he drops the n-word and refers to fellow students as “fags” and “fag-enablers,” all while declaring that he’s “not sick anymore.” It’s all so …

On Thanksgiving Eve, the Ali Forney Center received a grim letter from New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development. Due to a combination of City and State budget reductions for FY11 and FY12, DYCD has made the difficult decision to reduce Runaway and Homeless Youth Services funds by $969,407 and $700,000, respectively, beginning this fiscal year. In order …