I live in Astoria, Queens, one of the most diverse places on earth. I love the fact that my neighborhood is full of people of different colors, religions, ethnicities and sexual orientations (on the local basketball courts I've been dunked on by people who celebrate in English, Spanish and Arabic - and it's only a matter of time until someone who speaks Greek or Russian dunks on me). Our diversity and tolerance are our strength.
On July 7, our strength was attacked. Father Braxton, a priest who runs Carmen's Place - a shelter for gay and transgendered youth - was assaulted by a group of young men making homophobic comments. Several teenagers from the shelter were also attacked. Follow me around the fold to see how Astoria is responding to these events. If you live in Queens then I urge you to join us - let's prove once again that tolerance and love are stronger than hatred.
Reverend Louis Braxton and Carmen's Place are two institutions that represent Queens' strength. Father Braxton says:
The Gospel calls on us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked
And Carmen's Place does just that. It provides food and a home for lesbian, bisexual gay, transgendered and questioning youths (LBGT). Carmen's Place represents the best instincts of Queens and America.
Intolerance is a fact of life in our world. But tolerance is also increasingly a way of life in Astoria and in most of our country (witness America's embrace of Barack Obama's historic campaign).
The people who attacked Father Braxton and the shelter youths represent our worst instincts, but they do not represent a majority. At 7:00 on Monday, July 21, Generation Q will hold a meeting to discuss these events and to show our solidarity against hatred. Details are below:
Generation Q
Queens Community House at
30-74 Steinway Street, 2nd floor
Democracy for New York City and Astoria for Obama are publicizing this event. We urge all concerned members of Queens' community to attend. The battle for tolerance is a long one, but it is one that we must win.