LGBTQ Homelessness<\/p>\n
Any kind of homelessness is important and it is a large problem in this nation. Unfortunately, due to the struggles that LGBTQ individuals have faced as far as equality in both the past and the present, this issue presents the queer community with more detrimental setbacks in comparison to heterosexuals. Due to LGBTQ individuals struggle for equality and acceptance, it is not rare for one to find themselves homeless and helpless. A typical story for a LGBTQ individual, who ends up on the streets, begins with one not being accepted for who they truly are in regards to their sexual orientation, which leads to being neglected or disapproved by friends and family, forcing them onto the streets. It is obviously a very difficult process for a person to come out in terms of their sexuality, regardless of what it may be. When an LGBTQ individual finds themselves homeless, being placed in a shelter does not solve one\u2019s problems. In the past, shelters were not accepting or safe whatsoever of non-heterosexual individuals. LGBTQ homelessness has undergone great strides of improvements from the past to the present, from shelters lacking safety to places of comfort along with acceptance, and Jay Toole is a person who has inspired so many for such grand changes to take place among other brave activists.<\/p>\n
When LGBTQ individuals are neglected by loved ones, family, and friends, they often develop feelings of isolation and loneliness. These feelings can push these individuals onto the streets, and they also can occur within shelters. More often than not, queer homeless people do not feel like they belong due to them facing minimal acceptance and receiving minimal support. Jay Toole once felt this way. She once felt as if there was no one that could help her. She felt truly isolated and alone. Fortunately, Toole was able to rise out of homelessness and overcome poverty, but many cannot due to how difficult it is and how strong you have to be. Feelings of being isolated and alone are never feeling that people should feel. We live in a world where we should all help and provide aid to others less fortunate. It is so sad how almost every story regarding queer homelessness will exhibit feelings of hardship and isolation.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n After writing a response paper on the article: \u201c\u2018Nobody Should Ever Feel the Way that I felt\u2019: A Portrait of Jay Toole and Queer Homelessness\u201d by Aine Duggan I was both moved and inspired to write more on the topic. After reading this article, I wanted to learn more about Jay Toole and her journey. Toole is an inspiration because she, herself was once homeless and in a place where she felt both isolated and hopeless. Growing up, Toole never felt like she could truly be herself. She did not feel comfortable around her family coming out, and faced sexual abuse by bother her father throughout the early stages of her life. At the young age of 13, one day Toole returned to her home with what she describes as a classic butch haircut of the day, which comprised of a flat top. She was immediately alienated, rejected and instantly thrown out on the streets by her father. From this point on and for the next right years, Toole lived on the streets on a park bench in Washington Square Park and went in and out of shelters. This led her to begin to using and abusing drugs and alcohol. Additionally, while homeless, Toole was beaten numerously by cops for completely unharmful actions such as sleeping on a park bench, not wearing enough articles of women\u2019s clothing (not wearing more than 3 articles of women\u2019s clothing), which is absurd, and for sexual deviancy. Toole never felt safe or comfortable in her own skin, which caused her to turn to unhealthy addictions order to cope with her unhappiness. Due to this slippery slope, Toole faced a grand amount of hardships on the streets and in the shelter system. She felt beyond unsafe and uncomfortable. When Toole was in a homeless shelter, she could not express who she truly was sexually. She was forced to not be herself. She did not feel at peace with who she was, or accepted in the homeless shelters she was placed in. [2]<\/a><\/p>\n Through great perseverance and from the help of a few surrounding LGBTQ individuals, she rose out of homelessness and today dedicates her life to helping other homeless individuals.[3]<\/a> Today, Jay Toole is an inspiration because of her genuine, sympathetic, and caring nature. She is so dedicated to homeless shelters and aiding others in need that she feels guilty if she does not answer her phone for long periods of time in case someone is in need of help. She says:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s scary: am I giving the right advice, giving people what they need, making the right connections? I always tell people that I cannot give them housing, and I tell all the volunteers to do the same, but we can do a lot. We can help connect people back to whatever community they need to be with: queer, religious, family, or friends. I can\u2019t not answer my phone. I feel so guilty when I turn off my phone at night. I have no social life. All I ever do is talk about the work I do in the shelters. And when I hear other people talking about the work of QEJ, they are always talking about my work in the shelters and it\u2019s a lot of pressure. I feel like I always have to be on.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n Although Toole is in a good place in her life at the moment, in the past she faced a great amount of hindrances and obstacles. As a homeless queer individual, the homeless shelter system was beyond gruesome for her. Even in the shelters, away from people who neglected her, she was unable to truly be herself. In the homeless shelters, Toole was isolated, dehumanized, and treated without equality to others around her. She could not even express her sexual orientation.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n Due to how horrific of an experience Toole had during her years of homelessness in shelters, after she rose out of this dark period in her life, she made it her mission in life to make sure no one would ever undergo the treatment she did, in shelters and on the streets, when she was homeless. In 2002, Toole became a co-founder at Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ), a progressive non-profit organization, which provided aid for the LGBTQ community in need. At QEJ, Toole lead two grand movements of policy changes for the shelter system. In short, in 2006, transgender individuals gained the ability to personally determine which side of the shelter system they would reside in, either male or female. Additionally, in 2007 a policy was instilled for LGBTQ families to be able to housed and sheltered together. Fortunately, these policies remain in order today. These accomplishments were beyond noteworthy for the LGBTQ community. This progress displays how Toole truly dedicates her life to providing aid for LGBTQ homeless individuals in need.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n Fortunately, because of strong people like Jay Toole, a shift in the way homeless shelters were run occurred. In fact, queer homeless shelters were eventually established. By establishing queer homeless shelters, LGBTQ individuals could now finally feel safe. They could finally have safe places, which will cater to helping them rise out of homelessness. They could be who they truly are. They could come out and be placed in shelters that cater to their expressed sexual orientations. They no longer have to hide who they truly are, which is absolutely amazing.<\/p>\n Organizations such as FIERCE, The Audre Lorde Project (ALP), Queer for Economic Justice (QEJ when it was still in existence), and Streetwise & Safe (SAS) offers some sort of aid and support for the queer homeless shelter system. They each have distinct missions, sponsors, and strategies to provide aid to the LGBTQ homeless community and shelter system. So many youths in Manhattan face dire problems of finding safe places to live or shelters after becoming homeless. When individuals come out to their families as not being heterosexual, families neglect their children more often than one would think, pushing these young individuals out on the streets. As a main facet of neoliberalism in the United States, New York City has been made a platform of defunding welfare and increasing policing, making the 2008 recession even more destabilizing for LGBTQ youths. Since the recession, impoverished LGBTQ individuals fell deeper into poverty. Additionally, the quality of life has lessened since the recession, furthering struggles for queer homeless individuals.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n Michelle Billies wrote the article \u201cLow Income LGBTGNC (Gender Nonconforming) Struggles Over Shelters as Public Space.\u201d This article includes information by low-income LGBTGNC co-researchers who did participatory action research (PAR) on 171 of low-income LGBTGNC in New York City. These researchers elaborate on their findings form their PAR project with the organization, Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ), when it was still open. The \u201cQEJ was a grassroots advocacy organization committed to economic justice in tandem with racial, sexual and gender liberation that worked toward low income LGBTGNC access, dissent, and possibility. QEJ sought to insert queer poverty issues into the agendas of anti-poverty and LGBT organizations, engaging in education campaigns that heavily critiqued gay military policy, gay marriage, and hate crimes legislation, many of the homonormative policy moves that mark the emerging gay neoliberal citizen. QEJ promoted visibility and importance of public assistance and housing programs in the lives of queer people and provided low income LGBTGNC leadership development and action campaigns. QEJ closed in 2014 in the fiscal and political crunch following the 2008 recession.\u201d[8]<\/a> QEJ was an amazing organization founded by the forever inspiring, Jay Toole.<\/p>\n In this case study, the demographics of low income LGBTGNC include 37% African American\/Black, 32% Latino, 16% white, 7% Caribbean, 4% American Indian\/Indigenous, 4% multiracial, 2% Asian\/Pacific Islander, and 3% other. The sexualities of these individuals include, 23% gay, 23% lesbian, 21% straight, 17% bisexual, 10% more than one identity was checked, 10% queer, 5% two-spirit, 5% transgender, 3% pansexual, and 2% \u201csame gender loving\u201d. The Genders of these individuals include, 45% female, 25% male, 15% transgender male to female, 10% of more than one identity checked, 4% transgender female to male, 4% two spirit, and 4% genderqueer or gender nonconforming. Additionally, the age of these participants of 171 people include, an average of 37 years of age.[9]<\/a><\/p>\n The LGBTQ advocates wanted to transgender the shelter system. In other words, they wanted to let people individually decide what shelter they would feel most comfortable staying in based on how they identify themselves sexually. This goal later became reality and \u201cIn 2006, a coalition including QEJ\u2019s Shelter Organizing Project won a pilot policy in NYC that allows shelter residents to reside in the shelter that matches their self-identified gender, a change motivated by ongoing transphobic violence and discrimination by staff and residents.\u201d[10]<\/a> With a great deal of credit to Jay Toole, shelter spaces were modified to help LGBTQ individuals feel more comfortable and safe. When QEJ was in existence, it provided support groups within the shelters, which were up and running weekly by volunteers. Within these support groups, the shelters were formed into communities where its members felt comfortable in their gender and sexual identities. They spatialized \u201cthe shelter as a site of sexual and gender community building as well s a space of support, a crucial function rarely offered by the shelter and vital for residents facing threats and violence from staff, guards, and police in government and nonprofit agencies.\u201d[11]<\/a> QEJ changed the way the shelter systems were run. They transformed them into places where the members felt comfortable talking about personal issues in regards to sexuality, other personal struggles, thoughts, issues, or anything else on their mind, rather than keeping them internal as inner struggles, which is unhealthy.[12]<\/a><\/p>\n There are so many stories of queer homelessness explaining why and how they became homeless. These stories exhibit how much of a slippery slope it is for LGBTQ individuals to come out to their families, stories of being neglected, and falling into a deep hole of poverty and homelessness, which is beyond difficult to escape. It is estimated that the queer homeless youth population is growing. So many LGBTQ individuals are forced onto the streets and struggle dramatically with homelessness. This is an epidemic is in current times. \u201cStudies have found that LGBTQ youth comprise up to 40% of the homeless youth population in New York City.\u00a0\u00a0In December 2007 the Empire State Coalition of Youth and Family Services (ESC) reported on the findings of the first New York City Council census of homeless youth in NYC. This data showed that\u00a028%\u00a0of the street youth identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual,\u00a011%\u00a0were unsure of their sexual orientation or were not comfortable answering the question and\u00a05%\u00a0identified as transgender with another\u00a018%\u00a0unsure or choosing not to answer the question about gender identity.\u201d[13]<\/a><\/p>\n In the NBC News article, \u201cLeft Behind: LGBT Homeless Youth Struggle to Survive on the Streets\u201d written by Miranda Leitsinger, stories are told about queer homeless youths, they struggles, and how they ended up on the streets. These stories, which were a reality not too long ago, just a short two years ago in 2014, are devastating. The story of Audien Marks, who goes by Diamond, a 19-year-old transgender female, is told. She used to sell herself for sex when living on the streets to make money after being kicked out of her home. When interviewed, Marks says: \u201cThis life, it gets depressing.\u201d[14]<\/a> Within a year, Marks endured long periods of homelessness living at friends places, shelters, and on the streets after constantly fighting with her mother over her sexual identify and romantic interests. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to imagine a worse and more harmful expression of homophobia in our time than the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of kids who are being rejected by their families and put out onto the streets,\u201d said Carl Siciliano, executive director of the Ali Forney Center, a shelter for LGBT youth in New York.\u201d[15]<\/a><\/p>\n Similarly, Miranda Leitsinger tells a sad and unfair story of David Stanley Stanley is a 20-year-old gender fluid female most days. Her mother passed away years ago and her sister and extended family were not supportive in her trying on and dressing in girls clothing. \u201cHer extended family told her \u201cthat I need to change my ways or leave, she said. \u2018I knew that they were talking about me being gay.\u201d[16]<\/a> Stanley\u2019s sister would make fun of her sexual identity, which pushed her to move away and out of her sisters home. Stanley joined a large community of LGBTW youth in New York City seeking a shelter bed. After sleeping on the subway for a week, she luckily got one.[17]<\/a><\/p>\n Lucina Rodriguez, a 21-year-old transgender female struggled with homelessness and drug addiction. She \u201csought refuge for several months on the subway. Once when she nodded off on the train, someone took her backpack containing her laptop and birth certificate, she said.\u201d[18]<\/a> Rodriguez hopes to soon have a full time job and works to line up paid internships as she tries to build up her resume. Unfortunately, she also says, \u201cI have grown accustomed to being on the streets, and that\u2019s bad.\u201d[19]<\/a> At the age of just 19, Rodriguez left her home after her mother and she constantly fighting about her sexual orientation. She knew that she was transgender a full two years before coming out. The amount of neglecting youths face in today\u2019s society for their sexual orientation is despicable. In fact, \u201cFamily acceptance is critical to the well-being of LGBT young adults, said Ryan, of the Family Acceptance Project. According to a 2009 study by the project, youth who are highly rejected by their families are more than eight times likely to have attempted suicide and nearly six times as likely to report high levels of depression. They are also more than three times as likely to use illegal drugs and to be at high risk for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.\u201d[20]<\/a><\/p>\n From the Journal of Poverty, <\/em>the article: \u201cTransitioning Our Shelters: Making Homeless Shelters Safe for Transgender People\u201d the lack of safety regular shelters originally had in 2006 is revealed. This article brings to light the horrific abuses, segregations, and awful conditions that shelters used to have. These shelters did not cater to LGBTW individuals. They previously did not allow an individual to choose, which shelter they felt the most comfortable in based on their identified sexual orientations and genders. Additionally, and fortunately, improvements that the shelters have had over the years, which Jay Toole is largely credited to being a core contributor of evident changes and improvements present today.[21]<\/a><\/p>\n The Queer shelter system has gone through many changes over the years. Initially, LGBTQ individuals did not feel safe in these shelters. They were fearful of expressing what their true sexual orientation is, and were encouraged to not do so. Additionally, homeless shelters used to not<\/em> be safe places for queer individuals. Isn\u2019t the whole point of a shelter to provide a safe place, one that a person can feel comfortable? That is the point of a shelter, so the amount of inequality queer individuals faced in the past at these places is inexpressibly upsetting. The conditions at these shelters were horrific. In reality, homeless shelters did not allow queer individuals to be themselves, and much of the struggles they faced were unbearable.<\/p>\n The Ali Forney Shelter (AFC) is a shelter, which caters to the LGBTQ community, is present in New York City today. The Shelters mission statement is \u201cto protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.\u201d[22]<\/a> The name comes from Ali Forney, who was a gender non-conforming teen who left his home and became homeless at the age of 13. When he entered the foster care system, he was beaten and thrown around from home to home. At the age of just thirteen years old, Ali became wound up living on the streets and became homeless. Ali devoted his life to providing aid and support for other struggling youths and publically advocated for the well being and safety of LGBTQ youth. Ali was devastatingly shot in the head and murdered in 1997 in Harlem, and was left to die. Carl Siciliano, a LBGTQ youth activist founded the shelter in 2002 in memory of Ali. Carl admirably commits his life to helping save and better the lives of LGBTQ youths.[23]<\/a><\/p>\n The Ali Forney Shelter has prospered over the years and grown incredibly. Initially, the Ali Forney Shelter only consisted of having six beds in the basement of a church. Today, \u201cthe organization has grown to become the largest agency dedicated to LBGTQ homeless youth in the country\u2014assisting nearly 1,400 youth per year through 10 housing sites and a multi-purpose Drop-In Center.\u201d[24]<\/a> The shelters \u201cmission is to provide LGBTQ youth people housing and a continuum of supportive services to help them thrive and prepare them for independent living.\u201d[25]<\/a> The shelter does not just help these LGBTQ youths on the surface or for short-term relief. Rather, the shelter cares about instilling hope and values in homeless LGBTQ youths that will allow them to prosper and live happy lives on their own. The shelter cares about LGBTQ youths, helping them rise out of dark periods of their lives and into places where they can be independent, comfortable individuals. \u201cAFC has been heralded for [its] full continuum of care approach to services for LGBTQ homeless youth. AFC\u2019s founder, Carl Siciliano, was named a White House Champion of Change by President Obama citing the wide recognition of AFC\u2019s programs have receiving for their quality and innovation.\u201d[26]<\/a><\/p>\n The Ali Forney Shelter\u2019s headquarters are located on 244 West 35th<\/sup> Street in New York City. The shelter\u2019s board members include, chair Richard Tazik, vice chair Erin J. Law, Treasurer Craig Smith, Secretary Katie Zunno, among many others who work towards helping this shelter function cohesively, successfully and prosperously for aiding LGBTQ youths.[27]<\/a> Studies have found and verified that each day at the Ali Forney Shelter \u201c\u00a0LGBTQ street youth experience greater levels of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking violence, trauma, HIV infection, mental health issues and substance abuse than their heterosexual counterparts in the homeless youth population (AFC).\u201d[28]<\/a> Additionally, \u201cLGBT Youth comprise a disproportionate number of the homeless population and are\u00a08 times more likely to experience homelessness.\u201d[29]<\/a> The AFC stresses how their clients come from all different life backgrounds and experiences. Statistics have also shown that the clients of the Ali Forney Shelter consist of over 80%, which are kick out of their own homes for the sexual orientations and \u201cthe remainder run away due to abuse, neglect, or a combination of rejection and abuse (AFC).\u201d[30]<\/a> Of the youths that the Ali Forney shelter aids, 29% are female, 49% are male, and 22% are transgender. Additionally, 60% of African American descent, 30% of Latino descent, and 10% are of white descent. Unfortunately, at least 25% of the clients are HIV positive and 75% have an unjust history with the police. A majority of the clients do not even have a proper means of identification and 90% of them are uninsured.[31]<\/a><\/p>\n The Trinity Place Shelter is another LGBTQ Shelter in New York City. It\u2019s \u201cgoal is to provide homeless LGBTQ youth with the basic support, shelter and skills necessary to make the transition to independent living, and to make a positive difference for as many as possible in the midst of this crisis.\u201d[32]<\/a> The Trinity Place Shelter is a safe place for LGTBQ individuals to reside. It is a transitional shelter with ten beds that provides LGBTQ homeless individuals a secure place to eat, shower, sleep, and store personal belongings. The shelter provides counseling for its clients, both group and individual, in additional to access to means of transportation along with independent living supportive assistances.[33]<\/a><\/p>\n The Trinity Place Shelter \u201cprovide[s] case management, education, career counseling, access to comprehensive health services, art classes and mental health services utilizing community partnerships. All youth referred to Trinity Place are interested in and assisted with actively seeking employment or schooling.\u201d[34]<\/a> The shelter tries to not just act as a shelter, but as a home for these LGBTQ people who are in need of a safe and secure place where they can feel as ease with being their true selves. The shelter seeks to provide a true family oriented atmosphere and environment where its clients can easily receive personal reverence, care and other basic necessities that are unfortunately denied to them on a regular basis.[35]<\/a><\/p>\n Dan Spinello, a volunteer at the Trinity Place Shelter is a man who dedicates his time to helping the people in need within this shelter. He stresses how the shelter is a true home and contains an inclusive community environment. On this past Valentines Day in 2016, a frigidly cold day in New York City, the boiler, which heats the Trinity Place Shelter, broke. With support and help of others, \u201cwithin 24 hours we had relocated the youth to a large apartment that was generously provided by our longtime support, Saint Michael\u2019s Church. Using emergency funds, we provided air mattresses and other supplies. We were able to provide uninterrupted shelter, safety, warmth and all of the services that TPA offers.\u201d[36]<\/a> This event exemplifies how the shelter truly cares for the well being of its youths. It displays how it works as a community to work through struggles and other obstacles. Dan says, \u201cI devote my time to TPS because one person can make a huge difference here. Sometimes that means bringing dinner for the group, sometimes it means helping to paint a wall or tutoring, or making a donation, or bringing in winter clothes, or toiletries, sometimes it\u2019s a good drive and sometimes it\u2019s a holiday meal. It makes surprisingly little to change a life.\u201d[37]<\/a> His words are so inspiring and his genuine nature is displayed in his actions.<\/p>\n The shelter is one, which seeks to help its members grow, and Dan tells a short story of how a man in the shelter accomplished something extremely noteworthy in terms of achieving far more than just getting back on his feet. He says:<\/p>\n \u201cOne evening, a young man who was living in the shelter, whom I\u2019d gotten to know on previous shifts, walked over and dropped a folder on the table in front of me. \u201cLook inside,\u201d he said. I opened the folder; it was information about a nearby college. I flipped through the pages. It was an acceptance letter. I took a deep breath, fighting back tears as I smiled and congratulated him. \u201cI\u2019m still waiting to hear back from two others,\u201d he replied. I looked down because I could feel the tears were winning now.If you have never seen a whole life turn around, right in front of your eyes: it is immense, powerful and humbling.\u00a0<\/strong>Homeless, without family or stability, no money, working full-time and going to school and supporting himself before he was old enough to really know how. And then, on top of that, making applying for college. And getting accepted. And then again, and again.\u201d [38]<\/a><\/p>\n This story displays the kind of special place the Trinity Place Shelter it. It is one that is far more than just a shelter. It truly is comprised of a community and support system of people who create a real home for those in need.<\/p>\n Today, statistics have shown that there are 1,600 LGBTQ homeless youth of the 2,200 homeless youth that there are in New York City. \u201cWhen left out on the streets without shelter, many youths will resort to the criminal activities of prostitution and drug dealing in order to survive.\u201d[39]<\/a> Additionally, without the help and safety that shelters provide for LGBTQ homeless youths, on the streets, many are subjected to extreme amounts of trauma, violence, and injustices, which result in fatal mental and health issues. A lack of support and stable living has resulted in 62% of homeless LGBTQ youth to have attempted or considered committing suicide, which is extremely devastating. More studies have shown that New York City contains the highest number of homeless youth in comparison to any other city in the Unites States of America.[40]<\/a> \u201cThere are as many as 8,000 LGBTW youth\/young adults currently living homeless in NYC and only 250-250 beds are specifically available for LGBTQ youth.\u201d[41]<\/a> Unfortunately, in shelters, there are not enough beds to cater to the number of homeless youths there are.<\/p>\n It is clear that Jay Toole, among other LGBTQ activists such as Dan Spinello and Carl Siciliano have done wonders in the growth of the shelter system along with its upkeep and constant improvements. The problem of LGBTQ youth is one that is so prevalent today and it needs support now more than ever. We must be activists and help others in need. Doing a good deed, regardless of how large or small scale it is, will help. Any help is better than no help and support at all. Toole is truly a person who is inspirational in this realm of the world because she dedicates her life to helping others who are in similar positions that she was once in, but fortunately able to rise out of. She is an inspiration because she does not cease to stop her activism and support. She wants to help and has accomplished so many legendary ways of doing so. LGBTQ homelessness needs all of the help that it can get, and each and every person involved in these tragedies of reality deserve and need our help.<\/p>\n I would like to conclude by sharing a part of a poem by Christopher Soto entitled, Home (Chaos Theory):<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHome isn\u2019t merely a physical space<\/p>\n But also a philosophical one\u2014<\/p>\n Often defined by a feeling of security.<\/p>\n Here, it\u2019s possible to [own] property<\/p>\n & feel completely homeless.<\/p>\n Here, it\u2019s possible to be sleeping on a park bench<\/p>\n & know you are home.\u201d[42]<\/a><\/p>\n Everyone deserves a home with a safe place to sleep at night, and every person in this world deserves equal treatment along with help when they are in need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bibliography:<\/p>\n \u201cAbout Us – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016. The Ali Forney Center<\/em>. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/about-us\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BA, Lisa Mottet, JD, John Ohle BM, and JD. 2006. \u201cTransitioning Our Shelters: Making Homeless Shelters Safe for Transgender People.\u201d Journal of Poverty<\/em> 10 (2): 77\u2013101. doi:10.1300\/J134v10n02_05.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Billies, Michelle. 2015. \u201cLow Income LGBTGNC (Gender Nonconforming) Struggles Over Shelters as Public Space.\u201d ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies<\/em> 14 (4): 989\u20131007.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBoard Members – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016. The Ali Forney Center<\/em>. Accessed May 10. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/about-us\/board-members1\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Duggan, Aine. 2011. \u201c\u2018Nobody Should Ever Feel the Way That I Felt\u2019: A Portrait of Jay Toole and Queer Homelessness.\u201d S&F Online<\/em>, no. 10.1-10.2 (Fall \/Spring 2012). http:\/\/sfonline.barnard.edu\/a-new-queer-agenda\/nobody-should-ever-feel-the-way-that-i-felt-a-portrait-of-jay-toole-and-queer-homelessness\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leitsinger, Miranda. 2014. \u201cLeft Behind: LGBT Homeless Youth Struggle to Survive on the Streets – NBC News.\u201d News Website. NBC News<\/em>. August 3. http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/left-behind-lgbt-homeless-youth-struggle-survive-streets-n157506<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLGBTQ Youth Crisis – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016. Accessed May 10. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/about-us\/lgbtq-youth-crisis\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Soto, Christopher. 2016. \u201cPoetry: Loma.\u201d OmniVerse<\/em>. Accessed April 11. http:\/\/omniverse.us\/poetry-loma-christopher-soto\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Spinello, Dan. 2016. \u201cSafe, Warm, Supported and Homeless: Sheltering LGBTQ Youth Who Need Our Help.\u201d News Website. Huffington Post<\/em>. March 1. http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/dan-spinello\/safe-warm-supported-and-h_b_9355060.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SRLP. 2016. \u201cMiss Major-Jay Toole Building for Social Justice | SRLP (Sylvia Rivera Law Project).\u201d Accessed April 11. http:\/\/srlp.org\/about\/major-toole-building\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe Miss Major-Jay Toole Building for Social Justice.\u201d 2016. Miss Major-Jay Toole: Building for Social Justice<\/em>. Accessed May 1. http:\/\/mmjt.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Toole, Jay. 2016. \u201cAbout.\u201d Blog. Jay Toole<\/em>. Accessed April 11. http:\/\/jaytoole.com\/about.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTrinity Place Shelter.\u201d 2016. Trinity Place: A Homeless Shelter for LGBTQ Youth<\/em>. Accessed May 1. http:\/\/www.trinityplaceshelter.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYouth Crisis Stats.pdf.\u201d 2016. Accessed May 10. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/_aliforney\/assets\/File\/Youth%20Crisis%20Stats.pdf.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Duggan, Aine. 2011. \u201c\u2018Nobody Should Ever Feel the Way That I Felt\u2019: A Portrait of Jay Toole and Queer Homelessness.\u201d S&F Online<\/em>, no. 10.1-10.2 (Fall \/Spring 2012). http:\/\/sfonline.barnard.edu\/a-new-queer-agenda\/nobody-should-ever-feel-the-way-that-i-felt-a-portrait-of-jay-toole-and-queer-homelessness\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Toole, Jay. 2016. \u201cAbout.\u201d Blog. Jay Toole<\/em>. Accessed April 11. http:\/\/jaytoole.com\/about.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Toole, Jay. 2016. \u201cAbout.\u201d<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Duggan, Aine. 2011. Page 2.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Duggan, Aine. 2011.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Toole, Jay. 2016. \u201cAbout.\u201d<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> SRLP. 2016. \u201cMiss Major-Jay Toole Building for Social Justice | SRLP (Sylvia Rivera Law Project).\u201d Accessed April 11. http:\/\/srlp.org\/about\/major-toole-building\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Billies, Michelle. 2015. \u201cLow Income LGBTGNC (Gender Nonconforming) Struggles Over Shelters as Public Space.\u201d ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies<\/em> 14 (4): 997.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> Billies, Michelle. 2015. Page 999.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> Billies, Michelle. 2015. Page 1002.<\/p>\n [11]<\/a> Billies, Michelle. 2015. Page 1002.<\/p>\n [12]<\/a> Billies, Michelle. 2015. Page 1002.<\/p>\n [13]<\/a> \u201cLGBTQ Youth Crisis – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016. Accessed May 10. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/about-us\/lgbtq-youth-crisis\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n [14]<\/a> Leitsinger, Miranda. 2014. \u201cLeft Behind: LGBT Homeless Youth Struggle to Survive on the Streets – NBC News.\u201d News Website. NBC News<\/em>. August 3. http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/left-behind-lgbt-homeless-youth-struggle-survive-streets-n157506<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [15]<\/a> Leitsinger, Miranda. 2014. \u201cLeft Behind: LGBT Homeless Youth Struggle to Survive on the Streets – NBC News.\u201d News Website. NBC News<\/em>. August 3. http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/left-behind-lgbt-homeless-youth-struggle-survive-streets-n157506<\/a>.<\/p>\n [16]<\/a> Leitsinger, Miranda. 2014.<\/p>\n [17]<\/a> Leitsinger, Miranda. 2014.<\/p>\n [18]<\/a> Leitsinger, Miranda. 2014.<\/p>\n [19]<\/a> Leitsinger, Miranda. 2014.<\/p>\n [20]<\/a> Leitsinger, Miranda. 2014.<\/p>\n [21]<\/a> BA, Lisa Mottet, JD, John Ohle BM, and JD. 2006. \u201cTransitioning Our Shelters: Making Homeless Shelters Safe for Transgender People.\u201d Journal of Poverty<\/em> 10 (2): 77\u2013101. doi:10.1300\/J134v10n02_05.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [22]<\/a> \u201cAbout Us – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016. The Ali Forney Center<\/em>. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/about-us\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n [23]<\/a> \u201cAbout Us – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [24]<\/a> \u201cAbout Us – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [25]<\/a> \u201cAbout Us – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [26]<\/a> \u201cAbout Us – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [27]<\/a> \u201cBoard Members – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016. The Ali Forney Center<\/em>. Accessed May 10. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/about-us\/board-members1\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [28]<\/a> \u201cLGBTQ Youth Crisis – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016. Accessed May 10. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/about-us\/lgbtq-youth-crisis\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n [29]<\/a> \u201cLGBTQ Youth Crisis – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [30]<\/a> \u201cLGBTQ Youth Crisis – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [31]<\/a> \u201cLGBTQ Youth Crisis – Ali Forney.\u201d 2016. Accessed May 10. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/about-us\/lgbtq-youth-crisis\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n [32]<\/a> \u201cTrinity Place Shelter.\u201d 2016. Trinity Place: A Homeless Shelter for LGBTQ Youth<\/em>. Accessed May 1. http:\/\/www.trinityplaceshelter.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n [33]<\/a> \u201cTrinity Place Shelter.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [34]<\/a> \u201cTrinity Place Shelter.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [35]<\/a> \u201cTrinity Place Shelter.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [36]<\/a> Spinello, Dan. 2016. \u201cSafe, Warm, Supported and Homeless: Sheltering LGBTQ Youth Who Need Our Help.\u201d News Website. Huffington Post<\/em>. March 1. http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/dan-spinello\/safe-warm-supported-and-h_b_9355060.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n [37]<\/a> Spinello, Dan. 2016.<\/p>\n [38]<\/a> Spinello, Dan. 2016.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [39]<\/a> \u201cYouth Crisis Stats.pdf.\u201d 2016. Accessed May 10. http:\/\/www.aliforneycenter.org\/_aliforney\/assets\/File\/Youth%20Crisis%20Stats.pdf.<\/p>\n [40]<\/a> \u201cYouth Crisis Stats.pdf.\u201d 2016.<\/p>\n [41]<\/a> \u201cTrinity Place Shelter.\u201d 2016. Trinity Place: A Homeless Shelter for LGBTQ Youth<\/em>. Accessed May 1. http:\/\/www.trinityplaceshelter.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [42]<\/a> Soto, Christopher. 2016. \u201cPoetry: Loma.\u201d OmniVerse<\/em>. Accessed April 11. http:\/\/omniverse.us\/poetry-loma-christopher-soto\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" LGBTQ Homelessness Any kind of homelessness is important and it is a large problem in this nation. Unfortunately, due to the struggles that LGBTQ individuals have faced as far as equality in both the past and the present, this issue presents the queer community with more detrimental setbacks in comparison to heterosexuals. Due to LGBTQ…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1612,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1612"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions\/348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/amst-queer-america\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}