Today, the New York Times published my story “A Church. A Shelter. Is It Safe?” on the front page of the Metro section, below the fold.

This was one of the more emotionally difficult stories I’ve reported in my career. It began when I had grown interested in the lives of homeless LGBT youth. In listening to one young person talk about the homeless shelter Sylvia’s Place, I took notice when they said they’d sneak out some nights and go to Bellevue, of all places, to get some sleep.

I worked on it at night and on weekends for some time, until the pieces came together. With 251 shelter beds for the approximately 3,800 homeless kids on New York City’s streets (who are disproportionately LGBT), their options are few.

I also found out in my reporting that “Gay Inc” hasn’t been especially present in doing a great deal about homeless LGBT youth. While Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’s repeal and New York marriage equality have advanced LGBT rights this past year, the major gay organizations have not pushed their allies on those fronts on homelessness. Both Mayor Michael Bloomberg (by HRC) and Governor Andrew Cuomo (by ESPA) have been lauded recently for their work on marriage, while both men have also attempted to pass budgets which cut funding for youth homelessness by 50 percent.

You can read the story here, or find it on pages 1 and 8 of the Metro section of Today’s Times.