Bea Arthur's Lasting Gift to Fight LGBT Homelessness

categories: LGBT Celebrities, LGBT Entertainment, LGBT Homelessness, LGBT Youth

Published August 18, 2009 @ 03:15PM PT

Earlier this year the world lost one of its biggest gay icons, when former Golden Girl Bea Arthur died. Arthur was ever the champion of LGBT causes, so much so that her name will now carry on in the fight against LGBT homelessness.

The Ali Forney Center, which for the past seven years has worked to serve the LGBT homeless population in New York City, announced today that they would rename one of their shelters after the legendary television and theater performer. The official renaming will take place at a memorial service at the Majestic Theater, and will commemorate Arthur for her work to end homelessness among LGBT youth.

In 2005, Arthur said that her work to support organizations like the Ali Forney Center stemmed from wanting to make the world a better place for vulnerable kids. "I'm very, very involved in charities involving youth and the plight of foster children. But these kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by their families because of the fact that they are lesbian, gay, or transgender."

It's partly that dedication to fight for the rights of LGBT youth that made Bea Arthur such a beloved figure in the LGBT community. Homelessness is a pandemic among LGBT youth, with statistics saying that up to 25 percent of LGBT teens are rejected by their families and face a life on the streets.

Everything can and should be done to prevent that. And that's something Arthur recognized. And for that, while it seems kind of cheesy, it seems like the most appropriate thing to say is, "Thank you for being a friend," to the LGBT population yet again.

Share this Post

Comments (3)

Having admired Miss Arthur for years, this doesn't surprise me. May she rest in peace.

Posted by gilbert barrett on 08/18/2009 @ 04:12PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- 1 person likes this comment. Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by gilbert
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
It's unfortunate that about a quarter of LGBT youth are homeless because of rejection of their families but it's great that Bea Arthur supported fighting homelessness among LGBT youth. Because of her dedication to fighting the injustice of that homelessness, she definitely deserves her name on the Ali Forney Center. It's good to see a LGBT rights supporter fight so hard to make things correct for LGBT yout, thus there shall be a Bea Arthur Center.

Posted by Edwin Bonilla on 08/18/2009 @ 06:14PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- 1 person likes this comment. Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Edwin
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Its damn sad what family has come to mean in these modern times...You dont just abandon your kids because they didnt turn out the way you wanted or rather you shouldnt but all too often it does happen and thats very wrong...So much for family values.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 08/19/2009 @ 01:27PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Thomas
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.