Blush Fundraising Campaign to Benefit Homeless LGBTQ Youth
New York, NY – June 4, 2018 – Blush has embarked on a campaign to fundraise and empower homeless LGBTQ youth.
Statistics show that 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, with 68% of those young people citing family rejection as the major contributing factor to their homelessness.
Established in 2002, the Ali Forney Center has grown to become the largest agency dedicated to LGBTQ homeless youths in the country—assisting nearly 1,400 youths per year through a 24-hour Drop-In Center in New York City. The center provides over 70,000 meals annually, medical and mental health services through an on-site clinic, and a scattered site housing program.
The organization’s namesake, Ali Forney, was a gender-nonconforming teen who fled his home at 13. He entered the foster care system where he was bounced around to several homes, sadly experiencing beatings and abuse. Ali ended up living on the streets at the age of 15. Despite his hard circumstances, Ali was dedicated to helping other young people and publicly advocated for the safety of homeless LGBT youth. Tragically, in December of 1997, Ali was murdered in Harlem—shot in the head and left for dead.
Supporting the efforts of the Ali Forney Center is perfectly aligned with the Blush mission stating that all bodies are beautiful, worthy and deserving of celebration and pleasure.
“We are a company that insists upon recognizing the rights of all individuals. We understand that meeting the basic needs of a human being must come before pleasure. Knowing that from a young age lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and pansexual youth face extraordinary obstacles means that we must go above and beyond in our efforts to care for them.” says Blush’s Resident Sex Educator Ducky DooLittle. “We are so grateful that the Ali Forney Center exists, and we are proud to fundraise for them.”
Together, with the participation of adult distributors and retailers who sell Avant Pride, Blush will donate $1 to the Ali Forney Center. The promotion take place the entire month of June 2018.
ABOUT BLUSH:
The Blush philosophy is that all bodies are beautiful, worthy and deserving of celebration and pleasure. Our team combines innovation and creativity to create pleasure products that fit your desires while meeting our high health and wellness standards. Price, quality and your experience are our highest priority.
ABOUT THE ALI FORNEY CENTER:
Our mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.