One of my favorite places to go in Manhattan is the West Village. There's an ice cream parlor in the neighborhood called The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop. There are pictures of the Golden Girls on the walls, which make it clear that the show has a large gay following. Those fans now have new reason to admire Bea Arthur, one of the show's stars. A homeless shelter for LGBTQ Youth opened in the late actresses name on November 30, 2017.
The center is located in New York City's East Village on 222 E. 13th Street. Arthur left $300,000 in her will to the Ali Forney Center, an organization which works to help homeless LGBTQ youth in New York. The money Arthur left was used to fund the shelter. The 18-bed shelter has been titled the Bea Arthur Residence.
"These kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by their families because of the fact that they are lesbian, gay or transgender," she later said. "This organization really is saving lives."
It's always nice to see a celebrity using their position for good. Fame and fortune is what a lot of people hope to obtain. However, those in need understand how superficial those things are in the bigger picture. Giving back to good causes helps many stars find the worth in their accomplishments. The fact that Arthur left money for the organization in her will shows how much the cause meant to her. It's nice to see her passion for the issue was genuine and not a pandering move.
It also shines a light on an aspect of the LGBTQ community that isn't discussed enough. Most people on the outside of the fight only focus on marriage equality. Some say that since marriage equality is now legal across the United States, everything is okay. Things might be a lot better, but there's still much work to be done. Conversion therapy still exists and harms so many LGBTQ people of all ages. The transgender community is dealing with an administration that wants to strip them of their right to serve their country.
Homelessness due to LGBTQ people coming out to unaccepting households is also a very important issue. There are still many LGBTQ folks who are left on the street and need a safe place to go. My hope is that we see more of a rise in these sorts of shelters in small towns, where it is less accepting than in big cities. There are still many kids out there who need a place to turn to. This is just the beginning. Let's hope for a future with more acceptance and more options for those who don't have it.
