Name: Freya Sutter
Social Justice Group: 2020-2021, Mental Health and Teens
Date of Fieldwork: March 4, 2021
Person (people) with whom you met and their title(s) & Name of Organization: Alex Roque
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
Alex Roque is the director of the Ali Forney center which helps homeless LGBTQ youth. In this interview, I learned that because of covid the mental health of LGBTQ teens has worsened. Roque also explained how the Ali Forney center has had to adapt to covid and can now only help around 10 kids a day versus 100 at their Harlem location. I also learned how the easiest and best thing to do for LGBTQ youth is just affirming your support. He explained how LGBTQ youth who had an affirming community and were homeless had better mental health than LGBTQ youth who did have a home but had unsupportive parents. One thing that shocked me was how Alex Roque explained that during Trump’s presidency, LGBTQ suicide statistics would jump after a policy that was anti-LGBTQ was established.
