QUINN: THANKS FOR COMING OUT

Dear New Yorker,

A big, heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended our NYC Council Pride celebration last month!

This year's celebration was the first since New York passed the Marriage Equality Act, and it meant so much to all of us to see everyone there.　 As I said during my remarks that evening, when the LGBT community gets knocked down, we don't stay down.We dust ourselves off; we pull together a better, bigger coalition; we work harder. That resilience, that remarkable sense of community, was very much on display that evening, and, again, I want to thank everyone for coming out and making this year's celebration so terrific and special.

Also to anyone who wasn't able to get into the event this year: my sincere apologies. Although the Great Hall at Cooper Union is a fairly large space, it was filled to capacity this year, and, regrettably, some people had to be turned away. Anyway, I'm really sorry about that, and I hope we'll be able to see you at future events.

You can catch some of the highlights from this year's celebration here and here

Now that Pride month is officially over, I wanted to　share some important news regarding the restoration of funding for HIV/AIDS and homeless LGBT services in the Fiscal 2013 Adopted Budget, the continuation of our　LGBT book drive, recent changes that were made to the NYPD Patrol Guide to help better protect transgender New Yorkers, and Google's new Legalize Love campaign - all of which are described in greater detail below.

If you any questions or comments about these latest developments,　please don't hesitate to contact Carlos Menchaca in my office.　 He can be reached by phone at (212) 788-5646 or by e-mail at　 cmenchaca@council.nyc.gov .　

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Christine C. Quinn

Speaker

NYC Council

With funding that protects　HIV/AIDS and homeless LGBT services, the Fiscal 2013 Adopted Budget keeps the health and wellbeing of　some of　our city's most vulnerable residents a top priority.

Not only were we able to restore $5.1 million in funding to the City's HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA), saving supportive housing and hundreds of caseworker positions from elimination, but we were also able to provide $2 million in funding to expand HIV rapid testing at public hospitals and clinics around the five boroughs.

Our new budget plan also includes support for a number of programs and initiatives aimed at raising awareness, promoting prevention and keeping New Yorkers healthy and safe, including:　

• HIV Prevention ($1.4 Million) - When the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced at the beginning of the year that it was scaling back contracts for select HIV prevention interventions, we immediately grew alarmed. We know that every dollar put toward prevention can help reduce infection, bringing us a step closer to achieving our national goal of an HIV-free generation during our lifetime. That's why, working together with advocates, we successfully fought for and restored $1.4 million in HIV prevention dollars to the Gay Men's Health Crisis, the Latino Commission on AIDS, Bronx AIDS Services, and other HIV/AIDS healthcare providers around the City.
　
• Shelter Beds for At-Risk, Runaway and Homeless Youth ($7.17 Million) - Runaway and homeless youth services serve as a vital lifeline for the most vulnerable youth in our city, many of whom identify as LGBT. This $7.17 million restoration will help make sure that these young people receive the shelter and services they need to get off of the streets and out of harm's way.
　
• HIV/AIDS Communities of Color ($1.125 Million) -　With HIV infection on the rise in many of our communities, it's more critical than ever for us to get the work out about the importance of getting tested and staying healthy. $1.1 25 million has been restored to help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS among communities of color and women, where the rates of new infection are disproportionately high.
　
• HIV/AIDS Faith Based Initiative ($1.5 million) - The faith-based community has been a critical partner in our efforts to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in New York City. Through this $1.5 million initiative, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will work with local churches and community-based organizations to provide HIV/AIDS education, outreach and prevention to at-risk individuals living in our communities.
　
• Injection Drug Users Health Alliance ($1 million)　- If we're going stop new HIV infections and keep New Yorkers healthy, we need to attack the spread of HIV/AIDS from every possible angle. Members of the Injection Drug Users Health Alliance (IDUHA) have been working to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, which can often be transmitted simultaneously through intravenous drug use, through a number of important strategies, including clean needle access, HIV and Hepatitis C care coordination, and overdose prevention and addiction treatments services. With this funding, IDUHA will be able to continue offering these critical services.

I want to thank all of my Council colleagues, especially Council Members Recchia, Palma and Arroyo, for their leadership and support protecting these critical services.

A special thank you as well to everyone who attended our budget hearings and fought to ensure that funding for these services remains intact. We couldn't have done this without you.

You can read more about these and other important budget victories on our website at www.council.nyc.gov .　

Recently we announced an important effort between the NYC Council, the NYC Department of Education (DOE) and LGBT centers across the five boroughs to collect books that can be used in the NYC public school system to help heighten awareness and promote understanding for children and youth on LGBT issues.

Listed below are some of the titles that we're looking for which we've compiled with the DOE:

And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson

King and King by Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland

The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd

Izzy Willy Nilly by Cynthia Voigt

Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai

Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal

Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Ash, Huntress by Malinda Lo

God loves hair by Vivek Shraya

The God Box by Alex Sanchez

The Sistahood on the Mic by E-fierce (aka Elisha Miranda)

Access to these books can help prevent bullying, depression and other negative outcomes in students, many of whom come from non-traditional families and/or may be confused about their own thoughts and feelings. It can also help children develop empathy by increasing their understanding about how people around the world are both similar to and different from　themselves.

Here are some ways that you can help make sure students have access to these books:　

1. DONATE BOOKS ONLINE BEFORE AUGUST 15, 2012

You can also visit any of the following local book stores and place one or more of the titles that we are looking for in their donation bins: