Guest Post - Carl Siciliano

The Ali Forney Center has been joined by a wonderful ally in the effort to prevent Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal to eliminate funding for homeless youth shelters in New York State. Change.org has taken on the struggle to protect LGBT youth from the devastating impact of Cuomo's plan and has posted this petition on their homepage and on their gay rights page, demanding that funds for youth shelters be restored in full.

I am reaching out to our community and pleading that we sign this, and make every effort to have our friends sign it as well. I think it is of critical importance that we send our political leaders a strong message that the LGBT community will stand up for its most hurt and violated youth. That we care their lives and their safety.

It is terrible to see the fear and anxiety that these proposals provoke in our kids. After going through the horror of being discarded by families who could not accept having LGBT kids, and then enduring the hell of struggling to survive on the streets, they have been through more suffering in their young lives than anyone should have to endure. When they are finally provided a home where they feel loved and supported, only to hear that it might shut down because of some politician's decision, it frightens them terribly.

Please help us protect them. Please let Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature know that the LGBT Community cares deeply about the safety of it's most vulnerable children.

Carl Siciliano, Executive Director, Ali Forney Center