Carl Siciliano, founder of the Ali Forney Center in NYC, discusses his new book Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Place for LGBTQ Youth at Parthenon Books on Saturday, October 19th at 6 pm. Registration is requested!
From the founder of the nation’s largest housing program for homeless LGBTQ youth, a tender, uplifting account of his friendship with a nonbinary teenager and dozens of queer kids who inspired him to live a life of service and resistance
“MAKING ROOM is a must read for anyone who cares about our LGBTQ homeless youth. In the spirit of a true Saint, Carl Siciliano has spent a lifetime giving shelter, dignity and hope to young people off the streets. The story is riveting, emotional, powerful and an important part of our history. Carl has lived a life of service, spiritually and love.” –David Mixner, Activist, Performer and Author
“But in our world of rejected youths, family was wherever you found it.”
Carl Siciliano met Ali Forney—a Black nonbinary teenager overflowing with life—in 1994 while working at a daytime center for homeless youth in New York City. Nineteen years old and driven from home, Forney was the heart of the community, known for infectious laughter, fierce loyalty to friends, and an unshakeable faith in their essential human value.
Then Forney was murdered, a moment of horror and devastation that exposed the brutality that teenagers like Forney faced in a city marked by gentrification, housing insecurity, and the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic. Motivated by the memory of Forney, Siciliano fought to create a home where unhoused teens could live and feel loved
In MAKING ROOM Siciliano shares what he learned from Forney and thousands of other queer teens—wounded, brave, vibrant people who lived true to their inner experiences and created family under desperate circumstances—while he helped lead a movement that compelled New York City to invest millions of dollars in kids who’d been ignored for decades.
“This book is a love story.” Siciliano writes. “About the love Ali held for their friends in the streets. About the love Ali and I held for each other. And finally, about the radical change unleashed when a community challenges itself to embrace its most marginalized members.”
MAKING ROOM includes dozens of never-before-told stories of the lives of disowned LGBTQ teens, which read like cinematic, absorbing vignettes. Siciliano's voice and advocacy are a rudder of wisdom and affection, guiding readers to connect both with themselves and this compelling world of queer, homeless youth. In an era of unprecedented anti-LGBTQ political assaults—especially directed at TGNC people and youths—his urgent call for their protection could not be timelier.
Written with heart and profound insight, MAKING ROOM is a landmark personal narrative, bringing to life an untold chapter of LGBTQ history and testifying to the power of community, solidarity, and the human spirit.
About the Author
Carl Siciliano is a nationally recognized advocate and provider for homeless LGBTQ youth. In 2002, Siciliano founded the Ali Forney Center (AFC), which has grown to become the nation’s largest and most comprehensive housing program for homeless LGBTQ youth. His work has been featured by NPR, CNN, The Daily Show, and New York magazine. His writing has appeared in HuffPost, The Advocate, and The New York Times.
About the Ali Forney Center
The Ali Forney Center's mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently. In 2002, Carl Siciliano founded the Ali Forney Center (AFC) in memory of, and after, a gender-nonconforming youth who was tragically murdered in 1997.
The organization has grown to become the largest agency dedicated to LGBTQ homeless youths in the country—assisting more than 2,000 youths per year through a 24-hour Drop-In Center, which provides over 70,000 meals annually, medical and mental health services through an on-site clinic, and a scattered-site housing program.
Prior Awards/Recognitions and Media Appearances
Champion of Change for Fighting Youth Homelessness, The White House (under then President Barack Obama)
100 Outstanding Gay Achievers, named by “OUT Magazine” in 2002
Brooke Astor Service Award, for dedication to the city of New York in 2007
“This Harlem Town House Will Be a Game Changer for Unhoused Trans and Queer Youth,” Architectural Digest, 2022
“Reflections on Life After Stonewall,” The New York Times, 2019
“Why ‘Survival Sex’ Is the Only Option for Some Homeless LGBTQ Kids,” Teen Vogue, 2016
“Young, Gay and Homeless: Fighting for Resources,” NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, 2011
A Long Way from Home,” podcast hosted by Carl Siciliano