➤ RECLAIM PRIDE, from p.6
across the city have stepped up
during the crisis, like Bed-Stuy
Strong, a group that boasts 2,400
volunteers who have raised thousands
of dollars and delivered groceries
and supplies to hundreds of
people in that community. Aiming
to leverage impact through solidarity,
the Reclaim Pride Coalition
is working to shine a spotlight on
those mutual aid efforts and other
fundraisers that can bolster homeless
services and shelters serving
queer folks, such as New Alternatives
and Sylvia’s Place at the Metropolitan
Community Church of
New York.
Yet, just as the healthcare sector
has entered uncharted territory
with the emergence of makeshift
hospitals in event venues and
parks to meet demand in the city,
the Reclaim Pride Coalition is also
thinking outside the box about
possible solutions that would have
seemed impossible just weeks ago.
Ziegler has corresponded with
other members in emails about
one advocate’s idea to explore the
possibility of turning temporarilyshuttered
queer spaces into emergency
housing for LGBTQ homeless
youth.
Some ideas have included the
LGBT Community Center in Manhattan,
gay bars, and queer-owned
businesses and cultural centers.
But that is already proving to be
a challenging endeavor. One person
in that email chain, which was
shared with Gay City News, said an
employee at The Center told them,
“I honestly don’t think The Center
has any capacity to run that place
as a shelter (there are no showers
also) and we are on a very strict no
body enters rule.”
Still, the Coalition’s organizing
effort represents an example of the
way in which grassroots-led movements
are forming or repositioning
themselves during the coronavirus
crisis based on unprecedented
circumstances and a spike in demand
for basic necessities. It also
refl ects the reality that marginalized
populations are turning to
the general public for help because
they have become frustrated with
elected offi cials and government
leaders who have not stepped up to
help those in need or effect a mass
release of incarcerated individuals
despite the potentially lethal health
consequences they face.
“The big message here is the city
is not adequately addressing these
needs,” Ziegler explained. “And
our people are at extreme risk and
need resources to shelter in place.”
There are multiple fundraisers
in progress; those who wish to donate
can review the comprehensive
list of options at Reclaim Pride’s
website.
An example is one led by Gays
and Lesbians Living in a Transgender
Society, which has received
phone calls from several trans people
leaving Rikers who need temporary
and long-term housing. That
group is aiming to raise $50,000
to secure hotel rooms and food for
those individuals, but only a small
portion of that goal has been met.
Meanwhile, nearly $75,000 of
the $100,000 goal on a gofundme
page aiming to assist sex workers
has been raised.
Despite the abrupt shift to mutual
aid advocacy, members of Reclaim
Pride are pleased that it has
not been diffi cult for their team
to coalesce around a new goal —
though that result has come as little
surprise to those who have been
involved in the movement over the
past two years.
“It turns out a lot of organizers
and folks who were showing up for
that work are really easily transferring
over to mutual aid work because
it’s the same conversation,”
Ziegler said. “It’s not speculative.
It’s real.”
Prior to the crisis, Reclaim Pride
was in the midst of preparations
for June’s Pride March, including
discussions with the NYPD to
work out the details of the event.
It remains frustratingly unclear
how long it will be until the crisis
dissipates and service providers
re-open their doors, leaving future
plans in limbo.
The Coalition, however, plans to
stay true to its name and its goal:
neither the coronavirus crisis nor
the group’s temporary diversion toward
focusing on the more immediate
needs it has created will derail
its plans to participate in Pride
one way or another.
“No one can take Pride from us,”
Ziegler said. “If we have to do it online,
we will do it online.”
STAY HOME TO STOP THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS
New Yorkers working together and staying home can slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)
in New York City. When you go out for essential needs, work or to get fresh air, keep distance
between yourself and others and take the following precautions.
PROTECT YOURSELF
AND OTHERS
• Keep at least 6 feet between
yourself and others.
• Wash your hands with soap
and water often.
• Cover your nose and mouth
with a tissue or sleeve when
sneezing or coughing.
• Do not touch your face with
unwashed hands.
• Monitor your health more
closely than usual for cold or
flu symptoms.
NEW YORKERS:
IF YOU ARE SICK
• Stay home.
• If you have a cough,
shortness of breath, fever,
sore throat and do not feel
better after 3-4 days,
consult with your doctor.
• If you need help getting
medical care, call 311.
• NYC will provide care
regardless of immigration
status or ability to pay.
• Stay home if you have
lung disease, heart disease,
diabetes, cancer or a
weakened immune system.
• Stay home and call, video
chat or text with family or
friends who have one of
these conditions.
Text COVID to 692-692 for real-time updates or visit nyc.gov/coronavirus.
Call 311 to report harassment or discrimination. Call 888-NYC-WELL, text "WELL" to 65173
or chat online at nyc.gov/nycwell to connect with a counselor.
*Messages and data rates may apply. Check your wireless provider plan for details.
• Stay home.
• Telecommute if possible.
If you do go out:
• Stagger work hours away
from peak travel times.
• Walk or bike.
• Do not gather in crowds.
Bill de Blasio
Mayor
Oxiris Barbot, MD
Commissioner
REDUCE
OVERCROWDING
PROTECT THE
MOST VULNERABLE
GayCityNews.com | April 9 - April 22, 2020 7
/coronavirus
/nycwell
/GayCityNews.com
