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Hurricane Sandy Hub



04/19/2007


Hurricane Relief Fundraiser for NYC's Ali Forney Center

Forney

As we reported shortly after Hurricane Sandy, NYC's Ali Forney Center, the shelter and drop-in center for homeless LGBTQ youth, was devastated by the storm.

Only a few days ago, the Ali Forney Center suffered a devastating setback: Hurricane Sandy caused irreparable damage to their  Drop-in Center in Chelsea, flooding the venue with 4 feet of water. This facility previously served up to 1,000 homeless LGBTQ youth a year, providing comprehensive health care services, thousands of meals, counseling services, showers, and more.

This facility is now uninhabitable – an unthinkable loss for the AFC and for our community.

AFC Board Member Bill Shea and his Husband Frank Selvaggi have announced they are matching up to $50,000 of all revenue raised for the center at a fundraiser this Sunday at Industry Bar in Hell's Kitchen from 4-7 pm. Tickets are a $20 donation at the door. More details on the fundraiser HERE.

You can also make online donations at this page. Please help if you can.


Lady Gaga Gives $1 Million to Hurricane Sandy Relief

Said Lady Gaga on her 'Little Monsters' fan page:

Lady_gagaToday I pledge 1 million dollars to New York & The American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy Relief. If it wasn't for NYC: the Lower Eastside, Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn, I would not be the woman or artist that I am today. New York is relentless ambition, a drive to succeed, a place where there is a natural pursuit of diversity through compassion. Please accept this gift on behalf of myself, my parents Joe and Cynthia, and my sister Natali; with our deepest gratitude New York for raising us. Thank you for helping me build my spirit. I will now help you rebuild yours. Sincerely, Lady Gaga and The Germanottas


Former and Current NY Governors Blast Conservative Rabbi for Blaming Hurricane Sandy on Gay Marriage: AUDIO

Leter

Last week, Right Wing Watch reported on Rabbi Noson Leiter of Torah Jews for Decency, who blamed Hurricane Sandy on gay marriage in an October 30 radio interview:

Leiter asserted that the “the Great Flood in the time of Noah was triggered by the recognition of same-gender marriages,” adding that there are similar “messages in this particular storm for us.” “The Lord will not bring another flood to destroy the entire world but He could punish particular areas with a flood, and if we look at the same-gender marriage recognition movement that’s occurring, that certainly is a message for us to learn,” he said. “We have to learn that the Lord does watch what we do and if we don’t shape up He will deliver divine justice.” Leiter also suggested that God flooded Lower Manhattan because it is “one of the national centers of homosexuality.”

Former NY Governor George Pataki blasted the rabbi's remarks over the weekend:

Pataki called on fellow Republican Neil DiCarlo — who is running on the Conservative Party line for a state Senate seat from the Hudson Valley — to denounce the remarks of Rabbi Noson Leiter. DiCarlo opposes gay marriage, and the orthodox rabbi made the statements in support of his third-party candidacy.

“It’s simply incomprehensible that anyone could attribute the devastation and loss of life caused by Hurricane Sandy to divine retribution against the New York State legislature,” Pataki railed.

Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo piled on:

"The comments made by Rabbi Noson Leiter that sought to link the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy to our state's embrace of marriage equality are as offensive as they are ignorant. This catastrophic storm claimed the lives of more than forty New Yorkers. This kind of hateful rhetoric has no place in our public discourse, and is particularly distasteful in times of tragedy. Our state is proud to offer equal rights to all our citizens, and we will never tolerate the use of a tragedy like Hurricane Sandy to promote a divisive and bigoted agenda."

Listen to Leiter, AFTER THE JUMP...

Continue reading "Former and Current NY Governors Blast Conservative Rabbi for Blaming Hurricane Sandy on Gay Marriage: AUDIO" »


NYC's Rockaway Neighborhood Needs Us: VIDEO

Rockaways

NYC's Rockaway Beach neighborhood was among those hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. Documentarian Alex Braverman produced this powerful mini-documentary about the damage to the area and its residents, narrated by a voicemail he received from his friend Michelle Cortez who lives there.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Information on how to help the Rockaways can be found here. You can go to THIS WEBSITE to find volunteer opportunities in NYC.

In case you missed it over the weekend, NYC's Ali Forney Center, the largest shelter for LGBT Homeless Youth here in New York, suffered extensive damage in the storm. Click HERE to donate to the center.

There's going to be a benefit for the Ali Forney Center on November 11 at industry Bar in Hell's Kitchen. More info HERE.

Rockaways2

Continue reading "NYC's Rockaway Neighborhood Needs Us: VIDEO" »


News: Baldwin Style, Spidey, Christie's Flip, 'NYDN'

1NewsIcon Nope, Mitt Romney won't be teaming up with Spider-Man if he wins the White House.

Ohio1NewsIcon Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who hails from Ohio, thinks that President Obama will win the Buckeye State. "The auto bailout may help the president in Ohio a little," he said.

1NewsIcon Rosario Crocetta, the new gay governor of conservative Sicily, promised voters not to have sex while in office.

1NewsIcon LGBT groups plan on protesting anti-gay singer Beenie Man's upcoming concert at Ocean Grove Lodge in Trinidad, California.

1NewsIcon After endorsing President Obama in 2008, the New York Daily News today backed Mitt Romney. "Offering a rosy vision of a country already on the rise, Obama argues that he would lead a resurgence by staying the course," the editors write. "He posits that spending in areas such as education and clean energy would be beneficial, and he sees raising taxes on high-income earners as key to 'balanced' deficit reduction. Each on its own is attractive, but the whole comes up short."

1NewsIcon Openly gay Rep. Tammy Baldwin's popular Senate campaign is profiled in the New York Times Style section today. Why style and not National? Who knows, but here's a taste: "Though a victory by Ms. Baldwin on Tuesday would represent the election of the first openly gay or lesbian person to the Senate, gay groups have been surprisingly low-key about their public support. Fund-raisers have largely been intimate affairs at people’s homes; no giant fund-raising galas in gay enclaves like West Hollywood or the Castro in San Francisco."

NYMagBlackout

1NewsIcon New York magazine takes post-Sandy Manhattan.

1NewsIcon A judge tossed gay man Stephen Hank's defamation lawsuit against Bristol Palin and ordered him to pay all legal fees connected to a nightclub altercation in which Hank called Palin's mother, Sarah Palin, a "whore" and Bristol responded by calling him gay.

1NewsIcon Wreck-It Ralph topped the weekend box office with $49.1 million.

1NewsIcon PeTA says being a vegan makes your penis bigger. I doubt the veracity of that statement, because, c'mon, we men-folk would have figured that out ages ago!

1NewsIcon 10 random quotes from Ellen DeGeneres.

1NewsIcon Joe Simpson still says he's not gay.

1NewsIcon Rhode Island House Speaker Gordon Fox says that his state will vote on marriage equality next month.

1NewsIcon The economy tops equality as the most important issue for Grindr users: "Forty-six percent of gay men who responded to the nationwide survey, conducted by hookup app Grindr, voted for the economy and job creation as the No. 1 priority in the race between the Democratic incumbent, President Obama, and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The second-highest-ranked issue was equality (29 percent). In third place was health care (11 percent.)"

Obamachristie1NewsIcon After loving up on President Obama during the post-Sandy media storm, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reaffirmed his allegiance to Mitt Romney. "The fact of the matter is what New Jerseyans expect from their governor is to work for them, not to work for any particular political party. I'm a Republican and I have endorsed Mitt Romney, I support him and I intend to vote for him on Tuesday," he told an Israeli television station.

1NewsIcon Maine GOP State Rep. David Johnson uses dead gay brother to rail against marriage equality: "I miss my brother and stay in contact with his partner because I love them both and know many other gay couples and love them dearly as well. The fact remains that God intended marriage to be between one man and one woman, and we have no right to redefine marriage. It has taken me a while, but I have finally figured out that God’s plan is better than man’s plan in all aspects of life. He constructed marriage this way for a reason."


Ali Forney Center For LGBT Youth Destroyed By Sandy

Ali_Forney_flood_insertThis is a huge blow to an already bloated, under-funded network of support for homeless or displaced LGBT youth here in New York City: the Ali Forney Center on 22nd Street between 10th and 11th Avenues was completely flooded during last week's Hufficane Sandy.

From executive director Carl Siciliano:

Yesterday we were finally able to inspect our drop-in center in Chelsea, half a block from the Hudson River. Our worst fears were realized; everything was destroyed and the space is uninhabitable. The water level went four feet high, destroying our phones, computers, refrigerator, food and supplies.

This is a terrible tragedy for the homeless LGBT youth we serve there. This space was dedicated to our most vulnerable kids, the thousands stranded on the streets without shelter, and was a place where they received food, showers, clothing, medical care, HIV testing and treatment, and mental health and substance abuse services. Basically a lifeline for LGBT kids whose lives are in danger.

We are currently scrambling for a plan to provide care to these desperate kids while we prepare to ultimately move into a larger space that will better meet our needs. The NYC LGBT Center has very kindly and generously offered to let us temporarily use some of their space, and we hope to determine the viability of that on Monday.

We have been deluged with kind offers from people who wish to volunteer and donate goods. Unfortunately, we will have to provide our services in the time being in much smaller spaces that won't accommodate volunteers or allow for much storage space. The best way people can reach out to help in this very challenging time is by making monetary donations. Please go to our website.

It is heartbreaking to see this space come to such a sad end. For the past seven years it has been a place of refuge to thousands of kids reeling from being thrown away by their parents for being LGBT. For many of these kids coming to our drop-in center provided  their first encounter with a loving and affirming LGBT community. I thank all of you for your care and support in a most difficult time.

Those of you who want to donate to help the center rebuild should click HERE.

[Image via Washington Blade]





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