December 2016 feels crazy. There's been one wave after another of change in the the world, and one development is crazier than the next. This week as each new cabinet member gets announced feels especially nuts. It feels like being flattened between two whooshing subway trains, barely able to grasp the scope of one disaster before the next barrels toward you. It is easy to feel paralyzed.
One thing that felt important was connecting with others. Last night we had some really great conversations about our fears and concerns, the steps we've taken to enact change, and the different histories and personal experiences that brought us together.
We thought, let's do something super-local, to benefit our community. The massively unknown future our country faces has stakes that are too high to stay still.
We asked each guest to bring $40 bucks or so, and we'd provide the dinner. The whole pot goes directly to the Ali Forney Center.
Our mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently. -Ali Forney Center
They provide shelter to young people who need it. Enough said. That's why we chose them.
There are many groups of people who are in grave danger of losing their rights in the coming months, and gay youth are high on that list; these are, for the most part, kids whose very identity has brought abuse and violence upon them, often by their own parents, who have kicked them out or made them feel unsafe.
I think about all the good fortune in my life, the basics of which are having been born white, heterosexual, and with a culturally acceptable gender identity. I was loved and cherished as a young person in my home.
Home is supposed to be a safe place, the safest place you know. What if that essential part of your life is the very part that shames you and kicks you out in the cold? I quite literally can't imagine it. I'm aware of my incredible good fortune, and I vow to act on behalf of those who don't have that luxury.
We raised $1,000! I am proud of our efforts and uplifted by the conversations we had last night. One little step at a time!
