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by Toni Pizanie
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

Thought Continued...

Have you ever walked by the young Gay African-American men sitting on the steps of the houses in the 800 block of Bourbon and thought they were bums or trouble makers? I work on that block and more than once I've turned my head wishing they would disappear until I met Todd and Romeo. Todd's story was in the last issue. Did it move you to want to help the Community Center with the goal of finding safe living quarters for these young people?

I met Romeo, a handsome, shy, alleged victim of Covenant House New Orleans recently. He agreed to be interviewed and asked me not to print his real name. He is uncomfortable about what the residents and staff of Covenant House will do to him if they read his story and know his identity.

Romeo, like Todd, had heard the stories of homophobia before he went to Covenant House. On January 1, 1998, Romeo moved into Covenant House and was promised a place in the ROP (Right of Passage) program within one week or perhaps two at the most. He was told that he had to be closeted. He needed a safe place to stay and was willing to be closeted to have a clean bed and food.

He was kept in the crisis center for two months. The promise was broken. Romeo had been told that he was eligible for the program because he was a full time student. As the weeks passed, he questioned why he had not been accepted. He was told four times that his application was lost yet continued to reapply. He appealed to staff and was never given a clear or honest answer. He was made to feel abused, unimportant and invisible.

At community meetings, he was not allowed to voice himself. He reported repeatedly to the staff that his possessions were being stolen. Again he was ignored. He requested a lock for his locker and was denied. He was told that if he put a lock on the locker, it would be cut off.

"I stayed to myself," he told me, "I was frightened and upset." There were some kind members of the staff but they didn't help him. "The one staff person who cares for everyone is Howard," Romeo said, "and he made me feel like life there wasn't so bad that I couldn't take it. Most of the staffers," he said, "openly told jokes about Gays and verbally Gay bashed. There is no respect or concern for residents that the staff thinks are different. There are favorites who are allowed to come in drunk or stoned and nothing is said to them."

He continued, "I was a good resident. I tried to get along with everyone. Still I was called 'faggot' and bullied and the staff did nothing. I became depressed and would cry and I feared being beaten."

Finally the pressure was too much. Romeo chose to leave Covenant House because he couldn't stand the fear of abuse and worry over what would be stolen next. The staff had heard and seen how Romeo was treated by the residents and other staff members and ignored the homophobic activity. He had not come out yet everyone seemed to know he was Gay. He felt that the staff had spread his personal information given in confidence. He was frustrated with the system believing Covenant House had abandoned him.

He decided to move in with his sick mother to care for her while he was going to school and working. The stress of the past months on this 17 year old was more than he could cope with and resulted in a nervous breakdown. He spent three weeks in a hospital and now, by choice, is seeing a counselor.

At the beginning of summer in a state of total confusion, he wondered if he should try living at Covenant House again so he could attend school without the pressure of having to support himself. Again he was told conflicting stories by the staff. He was refused overnight status and told he had to appeal even though he left in good standing. When he tried to appeal, he was told it was not necessary. Still he was not allowed a place to sleep and eat.

"They had no intentions of helping me," he said," because I'm Gay. The atmosphere there is fake. Before I was admitted in Jan., they were OK with me. After I moved in the attitude changed which hurt me. I trusted them and I believe they lied to me."

"I am doing this interview," Romeo said, "to protect other people and let the Gay community know we (young people) need help; our community needs to stand up for us. We need to create a safe haven for Gay youth. I'm a better person today. I'm not ashamed of my past or being Gay.

"I was too nice when I lived at Covenant House and they saw 'victim' written across my forehead. They ran over me." Romeo has started his junior year at school. He hopes to be a teacher some day.

"I don't do drugs today. I did try to stop the pain by smoking but it didn't help. I am responsible and I want to go forward to a better time."

Romeo spends his free time at the Center where he will become a volunteer when he turns 18 in October. He is a member of the Youth Group and claims that is his main support group. His advice to other young people like himself is to "be strong and stand up for what is right and what you believe in. Most of the time the Gay Community has treated me lovely but not always."

The Gay Community has another chance to reach out to this young man. We can't let him down because we are all he has on the positive side of the ledger of his life. Again I encourage you to do what you can to help our Gay youth.

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