Ali Forney Center Breaks Ground On Residence Named For Bea Arthur

Via press release:

On Monday, July 20, 2015, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the Bea Arthur Residence, an 18-bed residence for homeless LGBT youth operated by the Ali Forney Center. In 2012 the New York City Council and the Manhattan Borough President awarded $3,300,000 for the renovation of a long vacant building owned by the New York City Department of Housing and Preservation Development. The building has now been turned over to the Ali Forney Center in partnership with Cooper Square Committee, and renovations are beginning this month. It is anticipated that the building will begin to provide housing by the end of 2016.

Bea Arthur gave one of her final public performances as a benefit for the Ali Forney Center in 2005. She was very upset to learn that hundreds of thousands of LGBT teens were rejected by their families, and driven to homelessness. She said that she would do anything in her power to help these teens. When she died in 2009 the Ali Forney Center learned that she had bequeathed $300,000 to us in her will. At that time, Carl Siciliano, the Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center, pledged that the first building they owned would be named in her memory.

The groundbreaking will be attended by state and city political leaders and by the staff and clients of the Ali Forney Center.

Super Golden Friends

Mashup: The Golden Girls + The Super Friends.

(Via Towleroad)

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 $3 million in funding to be combined with an additional$300K designated by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer to help renovate222 East 13th Street in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood. The future Bea Arthur Residence for Homeless LGBT Youth will be an approximately 18-bedresidential supportive housing facility for homeless LGBT youth, to be named in honor of the late actress, Bea Arthur who was an advocate and supporter of the Ali Forney Center and its mission. The local Community Board #3 unanimously recommended that the site be transferred to the Ali Forney Center and Cooper Square Committee for this use.

Ali Forney head Carl Siciliano reacted: "Homeless LGBT youth, most of whom have been cast outof their homes, have faced the worst kind of cruelty and rejection. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that they now being shown such kindness by this community and its leaders."

Golden Girls Nesting Dolls

Source.

Remembering Bea Arthur

This afternoon Father Tony accompanied me to a memorial honoring Bea Arthur at Broadway's Majestic Theater, one of the few houses I'd never been in as Phantom Of The Opera has been playing there for roughly 87 years. As one would expect and demand, it was a star-studded affair featuring Broadway royalty such as event emcee Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Tyne Daly, Billy Goldenberg, and Zoe Caldwell. Rosie O'Donnell and her former talk show band leader John McDaniel performed the theme from Maude, Rue McClanahan shared a (very) raunchy story, Adrienne Barbeau brought the house to tears with her tribute, and one of my personal heroes, Norman Lear himself, shared his history with Bea Arthur going back to All In The Family.

Peppered in between were more blue-tinged anecdotes from writers and producers (many of which involved Bea's legendary love of a drink), NYC drag star Coco Peru performed a bit from Bea's one-woman Broadway show, and we were treated to numerous video clips and photo montages from Bea's 60+ year career. After the memorial we retired to an after-party/wake at Time Square's Cafe Josephine where Tony and I were able to actually introduce ourselves to some of the boldface names mentioned above. We attended both events as the guests of the Ali Forney Center, whose executive director Carl Siciliano riveted the Majestic audience with his recounting of Bea Arthur's tireless support for homeless LGBT youth. The Ali Forney Center will be honoring Bea by naming one of their residences for her. It was a great afternoon for a great lady. Father Tony has more photos, his recapping of the event is here.

NYC Homeless Shelter For LGBT Youth To Name Residence For Bea Arthur

The Ali Forney Center, NYC's homeless shelter for LGBT youth, is naming one of their residences for the late Bea Arthur. Via press release:

The Ali Forney Center (AFC), the nation's largest organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth, will formally announce it's plan to name a residence for LGBT youth in honor of Bea Arthur at her memorial service on September 14th at the Majestic Theater in New York City. The Ali Forney Center is working with a group of Bea's close friends and colleagues to plan the memorial service. "Bea Arthur was tremendously kind and generous to the Ali Forney Center" says Carl Siciliano, AFC Founder and Executive Director. "The caring and concern that Bea expressed for our kids meant the world to us, and we are thrilled to be able to give honor to her memory in this way".

In November of 2005, Bea flew to New York City from her home in Los Angeles in order to give a special benefit performance of her one-woman show. The performance raised over $40,000 for the Ali Forney Center. In an interview for Next Magazine Bea explained her decision to offer her support "I'm very, very involved in charities involving youth and the plight of foster children. But these kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by their families because of the fact that they are lesbian, gay, or transgender - this organization really is saving lives." Bea continued to offer her support, both as a donor and as an advocate. In one of her very last interviews, published in the New York Blade in May 2008, Bea spoke with pride of having done the benefit for AFC, and indicated that she would do anything to help gay kids disowned by their parents.

Bea Arthur, 86

Legendary stage and television star Bea Arthur died at her home this morning at age 86. Family members say the Tony and Emmy winner had been battling cancer, but no other details are yet available. Below, I've compiled some of my favorite Bea Arthur television moments. Make sure you play the clip with Rock Hudson in which he and Bea sing a song about recreational drugs - they even mention poppers. What a sad, sad day. Even when I was a wee lad, when I first saw Bea Arthur on All In the Family, I somehow knew I was witnessing greatness.