Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine LGBT Support In NYC?

Can anyone in the NY-metro area recommend a good group?

I have a buddy on another board who's dealing with severe mental-emotional issues right now. The board we're both on over there is pretty thin on LGBT folk, though generally supportive and lacking in homophobic yahoos (the ones who appear get shown the door very quickly). So I was hoping somebody here might know of a good one.

Thanks in advance.

The Center


Never used them, not living in NYC, but I've head good things.

Not being from NYC, I don't really know of any particular group.

Jerry's link looks like a good place to start.

cleome, is your friend's problem to do with coming out? I know that it can be real hard and scary the first time you go into a gay establishment, whether a gay bookstore, gay bar, or gay health center.

Tell your buddy that we are pulling for her or him.

I've been to several great programs at the Center... There's also some good ones on Long Island... send me a PM if you want more info...

There's so many groups but we'd need to know more. There's Identity House for youth, Sage for the elderly, Ali Fourney Center for homeless youth, AA groups, domestic violence, POZ, etc.

Jerry's link has a "find groups" button so he can find what's best for him if he's together enough to do that himself. The Center hosts many support groups, I don't believe it is one in and of itself.

Thanks, Guys.

I think my buddy ended up getting in touch with a local on the same board who had some pointers for him. He ended up deleting the "help wanted" thread he posted, but I've seen him return a few times since. I really hope that he's going to be all right.

Quis, from what he wrote pre-deletion, it sounded like he had one of those families that wanted to "cure" him of being gay-- and that was only the start of it. I appreciate you guys giving me some ideas if he ends up wanting to talk about it again.

How old is he?

I hope we don't have any families left in NYC who'd try to cure a gay son.

If he's over 18 at least he doesn't have to put up with it. And if he does he has time to get over it when it doesn't work, which it won't.

Well, Shining Son, who would have thought NYC would have had this rash of gay bashing?

cleome,

Dealing with the family is also really hard. Especially if they want to "cure" you. Still in a way, it shows they do care for him. I remember when I came out to my sister, who is a big time Catholic, she said that she had known I was gay. (as did both my brothers) Although I was glad she hadn't tried to steer me to the ex-gay groups, I thought "So, if you knew I was gay, thought that being gay was 'wrong', and loved me, why didn't you try to 'help' me?"

As far as it being a "rash" the police commissioner made a very good point. They believe antigay hate crimes are continually under-reported, so when one makes the news, it gives others courage for the next week or two to come forward and report as well.

And the numbers are pretty low, so just a few extra reports will make a huge percentage jump. I'm not convinced there's all that many more incidents, despite how grievously horrific the recent ones have been.

As far as your family, one can hope that when they realized you were gay, they connected the dots that therefore being gay can't be all that wrong. I know, I know, talk about a stretch.

I would guess some big time Catholics are simply rational enough to realize how much they themselves do "wrong" such as birth control, and decide not to throw stones.

Hopefully the family is just in the denial stage, and that they'll soon progress to acceptance.