Toward the Light: Artists for the Ali Forney Center

“We started with six cots in a church basement, and the first day I had a waiting list of twenty kids for those six beds. Within a few weeks of opening, we had over a hundred kids on our waiting list. There had never been a program like this, where gay kids could go and seek safe shelter. I really, really had to work to get the funding in place to build it.”

—Carl Siciliano, founder, the Ali Forney Center

“Our work is not about deciding what’s right for our kids. I used to think it was about setting up a path for them. But it’s about letting the community decide for itself. It’s up to us to help them heal so they can lift themselves up.”

—Alex Roque, executive director, the Ali Forney Center

“With hostility and fear mounting, it’s easy to feel helpless and lost, unsure of how to direct our efforts amidst the turmoil. The Ali Forney Center offers a clear, impactful way to channel our energies and resist the urge to retreat. It’s through places like this that I’m reminded of the incredible resilience of our community when we stay engaged and unite in our efforts.”

—Ilana Savdie

“Every kid deserves a place to live where they feel safe and cared for. I’m so grateful to the Ali Forney Center because they provide not just this fundamental necessity, but the support our city’s homeless LGBTQ+ youth need to flourish. These kids are our kids. They’re part of our community.”

—Jenna Gribbon

“I was really impressed when I visited the new drop-in center at the Ali Forney Center. There was so much space, and it seemed so welcoming. It seems to me that anyone who went there could find a community very easily.”

—Katherine Bradford

“The Ali Forney Center is a critical and righteous organization in a time of great need.”

—Arlene Shechet

“It’s an incredible privilege that something I’ve made can raise funds for organizations and causes I believe in, like the Ali Forney Center. In an increasingly antagonistic and dangerous period, material support is incredibly meaningful and provides hope to LGBTQ+ youth.”

—Anthony Cudahy

“I’m not alone in questioning what could be necessary about making another painting, given the urgency of our moment. Studio work can be meandering, and turned-inward, and on an altogether different timeline than this unrelenting, bleak news cycle.... If my studio work can in some small way help to fortify such an organization [as the Ali Forney Center], the necessity of that effort couldn’t be made any more clear.”

—Peter Shear

“PROTECT THEM.”

—Jenny Holzer

“I'm honored to be included amongst such incredible queer artists and allies to support the Ali Forney Center—an organization that is more vital in this city than ever. Faced with an administration intent on fostering division and fear, the Ali Forney Center is determined to keep those most at risk in our community safe. Their work saves lives on a daily basis, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to help in any way I can.”

—Andrew Brischler

“Coming together with other artists to support our queer community gives me a sense of agency and hope in a time of precarity and helplessness. I’m deeply grateful to the Ali Forney Center for continuing to do their life-saving work despite many obstacles, and would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this wonderful project.”

—Doron Langberg

“Having faced homophobia early on, I know how vital it is to support LGBTQ+ youth. Organizations that offer shelter and community can profoundly impact vulnerable lives.”

—Ryan Sullivan

“Whether I’m a man with a dress and a wig, my God will love me for who I am.... So don’t worry about me, worry about yourself. Because as long as my God believes in me, I’m not worried about what folks say, hallelujah.”

—Ali Forney