Long-time vendor Sybil Taylor shares how she began creating art for the paper this year.
Content categorized as LGBTQ

Sybil Taylor’s been at Street Sense for 14 years, and she’s still learning new things

DC expands monkeypox vaccination efforts to be more accessible as cases rise
Three D.C. Health locations will now provide 300 monkeypox vaccines for District residents each Friday.

Mayor’s office cuts ribbon on DC’s first adult LGBTQ shelter
D.C.’s first shelter for LGBTQ adults — set to provide trauma-specific resources, case management and substance use disorder services to residents — will open this month.

LGBTQ vendor/artist spotlight
Three of our LGBTQ vendors and artists tell us about their experiences as LGBTQ people, and what Pride means to them.

Pride celebrations are over, but queer youth still need help
As Pride month ends, service providers for unhoused queer youth remind us of the work left to be done.

Hundreds of young people in DC do not have a place to live. Here’s how one nonprofit is trying to raise awareness.
About 40 people gathered in downtown D.C. on May 19 to take part in an overnight event to raise awareness of the growing plight of young people experiencing homelessness.

What kind of support do youth experiencing homelessness need to find stable employment?
Workforce development programs in D.C. aren’t helping youth experiencing homelessness, causing many youth to turn away from the programs.

Local nonprofit opens transitional housing to meet growing demand among LGBTQ youth
SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) recently opened its third facility to help meet the transitional housing needs of local LGTBQ youth.

A few notes on respect: How to ensure you’re treating a trans person with dignity
Phoenix Oaks, a vendor with Street Roots in Portland, Oregon, offers guidance on how to properly interact with transgender community members to better ensure everyone has basic respect.

When trans and non-binary people age out of homeless services, there’s nowhere to turn
Transgender people in the United States face barriers in many aspects of their lives, from job discrimination to family rejection. While LGBTQ-focused youth programs and housing assistance is growing nationally and in the District, transgender adults are being left behind after aging out of the system in their mid-twenties.

SMYAL expands services for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness
SMYAL, known as Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders, is launching a third Extended Transitional Housing program this spring for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness that will provide residents with up to six years of mental health support, shelter and employment assistance.

Confessions I, Part 1: I’ve Paid for Sex
In this series, Taylor reflects on paying for sex as a self-described “semi-closeted gay male.”

Homeless people in quarantine face poor conditions, rudeness, and transphobia
Shelter residents are sent to DHS’s isolation sites when exposed to COVID-19. But some report mistreatment and transphobia by staff and security guards.

Alice Carter study is an admirable and monumental effort that falls short
Artist and vendor Jeff Taylor critiques the case study written by Street Sense Media about the life and death of Alice Carter, who he knew and lived with.

DC is cutting funding for homeless services as COVID cases surge
Local nonprofits say the cuts will make it harder for them to serve homeless youth amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Black & Indigenous Transgender Safehaus shows the need for inclusive housing programs
Casa BITS provides short-term housing and community for Black, Indigenous, People of Color trangender and intersex D.C. residents.

Lawsuit alleges anti-trans discrimination in a private DC shelter
A transgender man is suing the National United Methodist Church and Friendship Place, alleging that they discriminated against him for being transgender.

At SMYAL’s Youth House, LGBTQ+ youth are provided with housing and affirmation
SMYAL provides economic and housing support during the pandemic through a housing program for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness.

New HUD rule could allow anti-trans discrimination in shelters
Homeless shelters that receive federal funding will be allowed to consider an individual’s sex and gender identity when deciding on accommodations, thanks to a June 12th rule from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

A Woman’s Pain
Artist and vendor Ronald Dudley shares the perspective of a woman’s pain.