On a warm November evening, a young man was murdered in front of a friend’s home on Syracuse’s near Westside. It’s a neighborhood that has seen more than its share of violence. But Syracuse police say the motivation behind the killing of Moses Cannon, who went by the name Latiesha “Teish” Green, was not gang- or drug-related—the killer’s motive was a dislike for Cannon’s sexual orientation, according to police.

This extreme reaction to a person’s sexual orientation may not be the norm in our community, but many people would be surprised by the level of harassment faced by youths who are different from others. Physical violence, bullying, threats, hostility are common for gay youths, and are also experienced by those who have physical disabilities, mental illness, or who are different in a host of other ways.

Mourners and friends left this memorial on Seymour Street after the shooting death of Moses "Teish" Cannon.

There are programs that can help. CONTACT Community Services offers a Telephone Counseling Services hotline for youths and young adults struggling with a crisis.

The program serves all ages—including teens, young adults and even young children—who are struggling with physical and sexual abuse, relationship problems, sexuality issues, loneliness, grief, depression, or suicidal thoughts. The program also serves callers who are concerned about the well-being of a friend or relative.

“We do get calls from youths and young adults who are experiencing pushback at school due to their sexual orientation,” said Cheryl Giarrusso, Telephone Counseling Services director. “We try to reach out to younger adults, and I would encourage anyone struggling with issues like these to pick up a phone and call. We have highly trained staff ready to help. It’s a safe place to talk and we’re a phone call away.”

High school can be a terrifying place for youths with diverse sexual orientations. Compounding these problems is the indifference frequently shown by teachers, school counselors and even parents. Despite attempts to rid schools of bullying, it remains common, and the intolerance shown to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) youths can be especially severe.  These youths report threats in school, teachers who won’t help, and parents who won’t listen.

Dr. Elizabeth Payne, director of the Q Center at AIDS Community Resources and faculty of the School of Education at Syracuse University explains, “Our kids experience verbal, physical and sexual assaults in school—it can be a hostile environment. This murder makes their fears all the more real. This is obviously an extreme case, but it shows that this community is not necessarily safe for people with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations.”

A study by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network reveals the unique  and startling challenges faced by LGBT youths:

1. They are seven times more likely to be threatened or assaulted with a weapon at school
2. 37% report that teachers never helped them when they were harassed
3. 27% indicated that their teachers were actually part of the problem
4. 71% said their parents did nothing to help
5. 26% are kicked out of their homes because of their sexual orientation
6. 42% of homeless youth in the U.S. are LGBT
7. Gay and lesbian youths are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than other youths

The Q Center at AIDS Community Resources offers a much-needed safe haven for LGBT youths. Caring adult role models work with youths to promote safe behavior and provide information on living healthy lives. They help youths solve personal problems, referring them to other programs when necessary.

The Q Center and CONTACT’s Telephone Counseling Services program are  funded by grants from United Way of Central New York’s Community Program Fund. Last year, the CONTACT program responded to nearly 23,000 callers and the Q Center served 237 youths.

Responses:

"Thank you for this newsletter about the plight of LGBT youth and others who are 'different' and the services that are available to them. This is an important story to be told and a valuable service to the community."

Susan Horn, Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid Society

"Thanks for doing this story. As the director of the Community Wide Dialogue to End Racism, we hear these stories in the dialogue circles from the middle school and high school teens. Our middle school program addresses this kind of bullying, replacing it with a 'Justice Squad' mentality at the schools. When we asked 'have you ever participated in bullying' EVERY single hand went up, and then the young people told stories, their shame at being part of this, and their commitment to end it at their schools. Many of them bullied to prevent being the target of bullying. We appreciate the United Way's support for our work."

Beth A. Broadway, M.S.Ed, InterFaith Works

"There have been times in the past when I questioned how responsive the United Way really was to 'what was really happening in my community' (inner-city Syracuse).  I am glad that even through this doubt I continued to support your fundraising efforts, and am thankful that dealing with issues like this tragedy are a priority to the agency, staff, and funded programs. Sometimes when we live through daily crisis, we develop fatalistic attitudes, and give up hope; I think that's where I've been over recent months. This piece just gave me a little faith that people do care about my community; for that I express 'thanksgiving'."

Courtney Ramirez, Syracuse

"A child came into this world with a body that didn't match her soul. The self that she was inside did not mesh with the person she appeared to be on the outside. But she changed that. She changed how she presented herself to the world, so she could change how the world saw her. As a caterpillar evolves and becomes a butterfly, so did Moses Cannon become Teisha Green. By becoming Teish she found the person she was meant to be. How tragic that another human being who could not see Teish's beauty felt empowered to take the gift of life from her. How sad that our community has lost such a valuable young person who had so much to teach us about being true to one's self. Our community has to protect other young people, like Teish, who are different. I am grateful that United Way recognizes this need and invests in agencies like ACR and CONTACT that provide services for LGBT youth. Thank you, United Way, for running this article and for showing you care."

Charles Sprock, Jr. Esq., Fayetteville, NY