Why Koleinu?--The Doctor’s Story
I am a physician, and for several years in the mid-late 1980's, I volunteered in the evening walk-in clinic of the
Community Health Project (now Callen Lorde) at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, as it was known at the time. While I was there, the HOTT program was initiated, a project which provides medical care to youth ages 18-21. The Community Health Project had a van, and two doctors, and a social worker who drove around the piers, a common gay gathering place, and often people’s only place to sleep for the night. We went out in the late evening, a time when the social worker knew the kids and 20 year olds would be around between jobs, including sex work, to see if we could distribute condoms, screen for pneumocystis and invite the youth to the Community Health Project for medical care.
We faced a tremendous amount of resistance and mistrust. It was of course frustrating, but more to the point it was incredibly horrifying and extremely depressing. It is awful that thirty years later, the same situation exists.
There must be pressure mounted towards the politicians who have budgetary control to increase funding for shelters , for housing, for social service and psychotherapeutic intervention and education for this population.
That is why I've become involved in the Koleinu LGBT Rights Action Team, and it's Shelter of Peace Initiative to bring these issues to the attention of the faith based community. We are working to build a large network of congregations ready to to petition politicians, and to participate in peaceful, legitimate demonstration to pressure our leaders to fund these vital services.
Please join Koleinu in writing a letter to Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg to remind them that there are LGBT Youth in NYC who don't have Homes for the Holidays. Click here to get started on your holiday card!
