Berkeley Queer Concert to benefit homeless youth

Singer/Songwriters and Spoken Word Artists come together to raise funds and awareness of our most vulnerable population

By Melanie Nathan, January 17, 2013.

Well I am definitely going to what promises to be an amazing evening – but more important the cause. I hope to meet some of our readers on Saturday, January 19th at The Starry Plough Berkeley, a benefit concert will be held with lesbian, transgender, queer performers to benefit The Ali Forney (Drop In Center for Homeless LGBT Youth) in NYC devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

This cause is important because of the stats;  Queer youth make up 25-40% of unaccompanied homeless youth populations on the streets in this country.  A disproportionate number when you consider they are maybe 3% of the general youth population.  Cities like New York and Hollywood both report at that 40% partly due to the fact that queer youth with nowhere to go migrate towards a place where they hope to find support when they can find absolutely none anywhere near them. Other big cities report similarly in the high %30s. But even as high and unfathomable as these numbers may seem, we know them to be under-reported.  (Cathy Kristofferson.)

This benefit is important because there are so few shelters to combat the problem.

This benefit is important because as queer adults we have a duty to support our youth, the kids who we have emboldened because we have become so OUT and so vocal in fighting for our equality.

There are not enough beds and Sandy wrecked havoc, making a dire situation even worse.  Please come out to support this and help shlter our homeless queer youth.

Doors @ 8pm, Show from 9:00pm-12
$10-$15 sliding scale