PFY Youth Teach LGBTQ History in Local Schools!

Pride for Youth’s Program Leaders debuted the new LGBTQ History workshop in December at Oceanside Middle School. This workshop was the result of a LGBTQ youth needs assessment carried out by the Youth/Adult Consortium over the last four years. The Program Leaders will facilitate this workshop in high schools and middle schools in order to integrate education around LGBTQ historical figures and events.

Mookie (Program Leader), Tawni J. Engel (PFY Asst. Director), Michael & Myrtle (Program Leaders)

New HIV Positive Support Group for Young Men Begins at PFY

Pride for Youth is excited to announce the start of a new HIV Positive Support Group, for young gay & bi guys, through age 30. First session will be held on Thursday, December 18th from 6-8pm. Van service, transportation reimbursement and free dinner will be available! Contact Pete Carney, LCSW, at pcarney@longislandcrisiscenter.org for more information and to sign up.

PFY Director Honored in Albany

On Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014 Pride for Youth Director, Pete Carney was honored in Albany, NY, receiving the NYS DOH Commissioner's Special Recognition Award for improving the health and well-being of NYS LGBTQ community. Pete has been PFY's director since 2008 and is responsible for the development and implementation of PFY's many innovative programs for LGBTQ youth and young adults on Long Island. Pete is pictured above with Elissa Nolan, NYS AIDS Institute Contract Manager and Carmen Vazquez, Coordinator of the LGBT Health Unit at the NYS DOH. Pride for Youth is thrilled to see Pete recognized for his dedication to the LGBTQ community on LI!

Can a Pill a Day Prevent HIV? Come to PFY's PrEP/PEP Community Forum and get info!

Can a Pill a Day Prevent HIV? Pride for Youth in collaboration with North Shore/LIJ will be holding a PrEP/PEP Community Forum on Wednesday, December 10th, 2014 at 6pm at our Bellmore offices. Get all your questions answered and find out if PrEPis for you! Free & confidential HIV testing and ACA enrollment will also be available. Open to all members of the Long Island community.

Pride for Youth is Coming Out on TV!

Pride for Youth will be featured on the next edition of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, “Coming Out”! This exciting new show surrounds the experiences of LGBTQ youth and gives them the opportunity to tell their individual coming out stories in their own words. Don’t miss it! The premier will air Tuesday, October 7^th at 8:00pm. National Coming Out Day is Thursday, October 11^th. How will you honor the day?

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2014/10/02/openly-gay-kids-share-their-stories-in-nick-news-with-linda-ellerbee-coming-out-premiering-tuesday-oct-7-at-8-pm-et-pt-on-nickelodeon-337312/20141002nickelodeon03/

Childrens Support Group for LGBTQ kids 8-13 y/o starts July 1st!

Children are identifying as

LGBTQ as early as age 8.

Pride for Youth now has a social/support group for LGBTQ kids 8-13, but we need YOUR help finding them! (click here for more information!)

March with Pride for Youth & activist Brendan Fay this Saturday for LI Pride!

March with Pride for Youth & LGBTQ Rights Activist Brendan Fay in the Long Island Pride Parade this Saturday!

 (click here for full post...!)

Lady Gaga & her mom celebrate Pride for Youth!

Pride for Youth was recently the recipient of quite a few gifts from Lady Gaga, her mother Cynthia Germanotta and her charitable organization the Born This Way Foundation! 
(click here for pics & full story...!)

Saying 'good-bye' to a long-time Pride for Youth supporter...

...It is with a heavy heart that Pride for Youth announces the 'sunset' on an amazing foundation that has supported us for many years... (click for full story)

PRIDE FOR YOUTH & FAITH SHEPHERD SCORE A VICTORY FOR GENDER NON-CONFORMING STUDENTS!

Many of you have been following us as we take a journey with Faith Shepherd - the 17 year-old out lesbian from Central Islip who won Homecoming King at her school this fall! 

Faith ran - and won by a landslide - to raise awareness around transgender youth rights. Faith knows that being an out lesbian afforests her more privlige, a safer school experience & less risk when compared with her transgender peers. So she decided to create a space where any youth could come out as they are - whether they be male, female, cisgender, transgender or gender queer.

Since then, a controversy erupted as some adults in the community didnt like Faith's move. They asked that her move be banned, and that the school district create a policy banning youth from running for positions that didnt match their gender marker, because what she did broke tradition.

In November, we honored Faith at our 20th Anniversary Celebration as Long Islands first LGBTQ youth center, and our Social Worker Erin cultivated a relationship with Faith, advocating with her when needed. They were even on the news live!

In January and February Pride for Youth spoke to the Central Islip Board of Education asking them not to enact such a policy. Even the ACLU came along to show support and explain how the proposed policy violates Title XI, the NYS Constitution, The First Amendment & The Dignity for All Students Act.

At the meeting on Monday, TONS of Faiths friends, students, community members and parents flooded the Board of Education with testimonials asking them NOT to do this. Some people even spoke out in opposition of Faith's move. But in the end, the school board decided not to adopt the discriminatory policy! Even the Homecoming Queen, Valerie Baez spoke out!

Pride for Youth is proud and honored to take this exciting journey with Faith - and we will keep you posted on updates! Faith will be marching with us in the Long Island Pride Parade this June, and will be coming to Coffeehouse soon! Faith wanted to say 'Thank You' for all your support - please check out her video here!

Faith Shepherd & Pride for Youth fight for Transgender Youth Visibility!

Check this amazing video!

Long Island girl elected homecoming king challenges gender-specific policy at school: Long Island girl elected homecoming king challenges gender-specific policy at school

Pride for Youth is very lucky to be able to support Faith Shepherd, the 17 year old lesbian from Central Islip who won Homecoming King in her journey to raise awareness for transgender rights!

We have been supporting Faith from the beginning...we even honored her way before all the controversy began at our 20th Anniversary Celebration this past fall!


Check out Faith and our Social Worker Erin on the WPIX morning news discussing the issue! And stay tuned - Faiths journey isn't over yet!