COMMENTARY | Cyndi Lauper announced she will be building a homeless shelter for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgenders in an effort to help the large population of LGBTs who reside in New York City and are homeless. In the Big Apple, 40 percent of the homeless are LGBT, according to Zap2It. Construction of the facility begins Thursday at West 154th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Manhattan. It will be named "True Colors" after Lauper's hit single from the 1980s.
Lauper says the residents of the shelter will pay rent based on income and have access to job assistance as well as social programs to help get them back on their feet. According to Zap2It, she stated in a press release, "Our primary goal is to provide a physically and emotionally safe and supportive environment that will empower our young residents to be the self-loving, happy and successful individuals they were meant to be."
Why does this segment of the population need its own homeless shelter? The reason is unfortunate: LGBTs still face an uphill battle as they are subject to prejudice and violence. On the streets, many are subject to horrific attacks based on their identity.
We've not come very far in the nearly 13 years since the infamous attack on Matthew Shepard took place near Laramie, Wyo. The University of Wyoming student was tortured and subsequently murdered because of his sexual orientation.
In 2009, legislation that Shepard's mother had fought for for over 10 years was finally signed into law by President Obama. It's called the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act. You would think most people would be in agreement that heinous crimes and violence should not be perpetrated against anyone for any reason, but there are more than a few members of the GOP who were staunchly against it.
Hateful attitudes continue to prevail, which is the reason of the need for a shelter like "True Colors." Some of our politicians are the leaders in our society who allow this atrocity to go on. GOP candidate Michele Bachmann is one of those members. She strongly opposed the legislation because she felt that the act would protect pedophiles from hate crimes.
It is that kind of ignorance that is propelling statistics of violence against LGBTs through the roof. Many young LGBTs even lose support of their loved ones at home, winding up on the streets only to then be subjected to mistreatment and violent acts against them.
Lauper should be lauded for her efforts in helping this segment of the population, and all of us who don't believe in attacking those who are different for any reason need to remember to take a stand against this moronic behavior.
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