Tag Archives: Ali Forney Center

NEW YORK: City Grants $3.3M To Ali Forney Center For Bea Arthur Residence

Some of may recall that Bea Arthur generously left $300,000 to the Ali Forney Center, which the LGBT youth advocates are using to as seed money to create a shelter in her name. Today we have fantastic news on that topic: The Ali Forney Center, in partnership with the Cooper Square Committee announced today that the City Council has designated …

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White House To Honor Carl Siciliano

The White House will honor Ali Forney Center founder and president Carl Siciliano as one of their 2012 Champions Of Change. Via press release: At the Champions of Change Fight Against Youth Homelessness event, to be held on Thursday, July 12th, agency representatives and various White House officials will participate in a discussion with Siciliano and fellow Champions to hear …

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The Power Bears Of NYC Pride (Plus Me)

A couple of months ago, the folks at NYC Pride invited me to pose for their “Rise Of The Power Bears” feature. I know, right? But since my hero, Carl Siciliano of the Ali Forney Center, had already signed on, how could I refuse? Rounding out our trio was Kiehl’s president Chris Salgardo, who is also one of this year’s …

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NEW YORK CITY: Bloomberg Budget Cuts $7M From Homeless Youth Services

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s just-issued budget reveals massive cuts to programs that serve the city’s burgeoning homeless youth population. The $7M annual budget reduction means as many as 160 youth shelter beds will be eliminated. Ali Forney Center founder Carl Siciliano reacts: “These cuts create an even bigger crisis for the LGBT teens who are thrown out of their homes …

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Petition Launched: Ask America’s Highest Profile Cardinal to Support LGBT Youth

Joseph Amodeo, who last week resigned from Catholic Charities after seeing Cardinal Dolan’s arrogant and dismissive letter to Carl Siciliano, has launched a petition asked Dolan to meet with some of NYC’s homeless LGBT youth. It’s wrong that 30-40% of homeless youth are LGBT. We’re asking Cardinal Dolan to meet with homeless LGBT youth, hear their stories, and dialogue with …

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Cardinal Dolan Responds To Carl Siciliano: You Better Watch Your Damned Mouth

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan has responded to Ali Forney Center founder Carl Siciliano, who last month published a blistering takedown of Dolan’s relentless campaign to rip apart families and send LGBT youth careening into despair, self-harm, and homelessness. As you can see, Dolan essentially tells Siciliano to watch his mouth. (Or else?) Read Siciliano’s response to the above letter …

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SLIDESHOW: Broadway Beauty Pageant

Last night Mamma Mia’s Andrew Chapelle took the tiara in the Ali Forney Center’s Sixth Annual Broadway Beauty Pageant, their gay gay gay and wonderfully hilarious competition among Broadway’s most talented chorus boys. Participants included Andrew Chappelle (Mamma Mia!), Wilkie Ferguson, III (Porgy and Bess), Corey Mach (Godspell), Jesse Swimm (Mary Poppins) and Anthony Wayne (Priscilla Queen of the Desert). …

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HomoQuotable – Carl Siciliano

“Cardinal Dolan, I pray that you might be able to open your eyes and your heart to the cruel suffering LGBT youths endure when their parents reject them. I invite you to visit the Ali Forney Center, only 30 blocks from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and meet with youths whose Catholic parents drove them from their homes. I want you to …

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SLIDESHOW: Ali Forney Fundraiser

Last night my loyal companion Aaron accompanied me to the Soho Housing Works Cafe for an Ali Forney Center fundraiser, where I finally met Frank Selvaggi and Bill Shea (above), the JMG readers who donated $100,000 to Ali Forney after reading about them here. Lots of bold-face names were in the house. Via press release from Renna Communications: The attendees …

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Who Will Win This Year’s Tiara?

Theater Mania tips us to rehearsal photos from the coming edition of Ali Forney Center’s Broadway Beauty Pageant, the annual gay gay gay competition of Broadway’s most talented chorus boys. Tickets are still available, but may sell out before the Monday show. I’ll be there!

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Discount Tickets On Sale For Ali Forney Center’s Broadway Beauty Pageant

The Ali Forney Center’s annual Broadway Beauty Pageant pits the Great White Way’s best chorus boys against each other in a celebrity-judged night of gay gay gay hilarity. I never miss it and you shouldn’t either. Pick up discounted tickets now through Valentine’s Day for the March 19th event.

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Ali Forney Center To Open 24-Hour Drop-In Services Center For Homeless LGBT Youth

Here’s a great press release to start your week. The Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest organization working on behalf of homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, today announced that it has been awarded a two-year matching $500K Challenge Grant from the Calamus Foundation of New York. This grant will make possible the launch of the nation’s first …

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JMG Post Generates $100K Donation To Ali Forney Center For Homeless LGBT Kids

Just about the time I was perusing the below Wall Street Journal report, one of its subjects, Frank Selvaggi, emailed me on Facebook to reveal that he and his partner were initially inspired by the Thanksgiving Day guest post made here on JMG by Ali Forney Center executive director Carl Siciliano. It just “clicked” for Frank Selvaggi and Bill Shea …

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Guest Post – Carl Siciliano

The holiday season frightens me. It is the time of year our homeless kids are most likely to attempt suicide. Kids who have been cast out of their homes suffer badly during a season that celebrates and idealizes family togetherness. Yesterday I met with a group of kids at our drop-in center in Chelsea. They were all out in the …

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A Day In Their Shoes

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Carl Siciliano: Leading Man Of 2011

Last night Father Tony and I attended Instinct Magazine’s posh event at District 36 where Carl Siciliano was feted as one of 2011’s Leading Men, an honor bestowed on gay men outside of the usual celebrity orbit of movies and television. Carl (above in the white shirt) is well-known here as the founder and executive director of NYC’s Ali Forney …

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SLIDESHOW: Homeless Youth Rally

Tonight’s rally for homeless LGBT youth was quite well attended with hundreds of activists, queer youth, and members of the media crowding Manhattan’s Union Square. The event was hosted by the Ali Forney Center, whose executive director Carl Siciliano roused the crowd with exhortations to do better by the city’s homeless kids. Also speaking was actress and longtime LGBT youth …

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TONIGHT: Rally For Homeless Gay Kids

New York City’s Ali Forney Center will host a rally at 6PM tonight in Union Square. As LGBT youth come out at younger ages, thousands face homophobia in their homes. Many are rejected by their families and driven from their homes. In New York City an LGBT teen is eight times more likely to experience homelessness than is a straight …

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VIDEO: Ali Forney Center Launches Campaign For LGBT Youth Shelter

Ali Forney Center head Carl Siciliano: “We hope that this video will promote awareness of the terrible peril that LGBT youth face when left homeless in the streets. With the recent spectacle of elected officials taking budgetary actions to endanger and abandon homeless youth in New York City, we hope the rally on October 24th will send a loud and …

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Big Expansion For Ali Forney Center

The New York City Council has awarded the Ali Forney Center the contract to take over a floundering 20-bed facility for homeless youth. Along with the contract comes a $620K grant. Julie Bolcer reports at the Advocate: “We are grateful to have the additional shelter beds,” said Carl Siciliano, the executive director of the Ali Forney Center, in a telephone …

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