FIERCE

Pride 2011: Letters to a Young Queer Activist

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Listen here to this 15-minute segment.

LGBT people don't have enough meaningful intergenerational conversations. For many reasons, there are stark barriers between our youth and our elders. We at Out-FM have the opportunity to interview many of the most exciting and experienced leaders of the LGBT movement, so we asked them: what advice do you have for young LGBT people? From avoiding burnout by making time to have fun together, to respecting the perspectives of the most powerless members of our community, their wisdom and insights are invaluable. Here, then, are a few of their Letters to a Young Queer Activist.

Listen here to an hour-long conversation about Rickke Mananzala's further thoughts on the state of the movement in New York after gay marriage.

Dunkin' Donuts Riot Response Exposes Rift in Greenwich Village

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT

GREENWICH VILLAGE —Rising crime and a riot at a Greenwich Village Dunkin' Donuts has created a rift between residents demanding increased police patrols — and those who claim extra vigilance is creating an environment hostile to gays.

Some locals say lawlessness is making Christopher Street a no-go area, and it's increased because police and legislators have been too lenient to crowds of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths who hang out in the area.

But critics say targeting the youths could seem anti-gay in a neighborhood that is nationally important to the gay rights movement — and has an historically contentious relationship with police.

4 arrests in �donut riot,� but FIERCE blasts crackdown

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Police have made four arrests in connection with the May 16 incident in which at least a dozen young people, some of them transgender, invaded the Dunkin Donuts at 75 Christopher St. and wreaked mayhem. They threw two metal tables and one chair at employees and during the chaos stole pastries and drinks.

On Monday, two of the suspects, Dwayne Jones, 20, and Mark Wright, 19, were indicted for attempted assault, criminal mischief, criminal possession of a weapon (the thrown furniture) and riot. Jones was also charged with grand larceny.

A third individual was a juvenile. The fourth may have been charged with misdemeanors, according to police.

Police say, based on intelligence they received, their investigation took them to the 147 W. 24th St. location of FIERCE, the advocacy group for gay youth of color. A tip to a tips line said a few of the individuals involved attended programs at FIERCE. Word on the street that police got from members of the transgender community was the same.

Alleged Hate Crime Victim Calls Attack Part of a Wider Problem

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

GREENWICH VILLAGE — The young victim of an alleged hate crime at a Village McDonald's shared his story with GLAAD Wednesday, calling the attack just one example of a wider problem of violence against the city's LGBT community.

"This has to stop. Under no circumstance should a person be attacked for their sexual orientation," Damian Furtch, 26, wrote in a statement. "This has been a traumatic experience for me, my friends and my family."

Furtch sustained three punches to the face in the early hours of Sunday morning, when two young men followed him out of a McDonald's at Sixth Avenue and West 3rd Street, according to the NYPD and Furtch.

Helping 'FIERCE' LGBTQ Youth Of Color Stand Up For Themselves

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Krystal Portalatin decided to take action when she and her friends nearly lost one of the few safe places for young, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers.

The city started to barricade the Christopher Street pier on the Hudson River, one of the few public spaces where many young LGBTQ New Yorkers felt they could be themselves.

Shoulder to Shoulder, Ending the Violence

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 05:00:00 GMT

2010 brought what was reported as a "spike" in bias incidents against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) and HIV/AIDS-affected people in New York City. As organizations who work day-to-day with LGBTQ we know that anti-LGBTQ violence has not suddenly increased, but has been rising steadily for decades: LGBTQ people face violence every day. What we did see in 2010 was a spike in the severity of violence that LGBTQ people face, more virulent hate speech from "community leaders," more media attention to LGBTQ youth suicides and violent homophobic attacks in Staten Island, the Bronx, Chelsea and the West Village, and more reports of the dangers that LGBTQ youth face in school.

Advocates Decry Homeless Youth Cuts

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A coalition of advocacy groups that work with homeless youth in New York City is expressing its “concern and alarm” over mid-year budget cuts, announced over the past two weeks by the city’s Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), that will reduce funding for drop-in centers by one-third to one-half and, within two years, eliminate dollars for street outreach to that population completely.

LGBTQ Youth Take on Violence, Suicides

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Nearly 100 LGBT youth and their allies joined with elected officials on the steps of City Hall on October 21 to speak out against recent suicides and anti-gay attacks in the city and nationwide, and to stress the pressing need for effective solutions.

October Declared LGBTQ Youth Empowerment Month in New York City

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT — Following weeks of highly publicized anti-gay hate crimes and suicides by gay youth, young LGBTQ New Yorkers got some good news Thursday afternoon.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg released a proclamation making October LGBTQ Youth Empowerment Month in New York City. Advocacy groups including FIERCE, which serves LGBTQ youth of color, hope this move will help shift public attention toward creating more preventative resources.

Tomorrow: Housewarming Party for NYC LGBT Organizations

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Starting Thursday, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers will have a new place to call home.

The Audre Lorde Project, FIERCE, Queers for Ecocnomic Justice and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project will host a joint housewarming party to celebrate their new shared location in Manhattan.