What can a group of scantily clad homos accomplish? As our friend (and all around cutie) Sean Kennedy of The Advocate reports in the new New York Magazine, a lot.

Tim Young (pictured), a struggling drama-rama, needed dough to fund the ailing Brooklyn Puppetry Arts Theater. To this end, he shed his clothes and started an underwear party at his apartment. Hosting gaggles of cute gents, Young has managed to raise half his annual $30,000 budget, thereby securing both a good cause and - hopefully - a good lay. Who knew philanthropy could be so sexy?

"Taking It Off for The Kids [New York Magazine]

If you live in New York, you may have noticed a new ad campaign. Launched by The Black Gay Network, a coalition of 16 grass-roots organizations, it hopes to quelch homophobia in black communities. Set on basketball courts, in churches, and on the street, this clever and necessary movement seeks to not only depict gays as both "black" and "gay," but begin a healthy dialogue in various communities. Executive director Mark McLaurin says:

The thing that came up over and over again was the homophobia in the African-American community...The sense that [black men] were forever having to demonstrate their blackness because they were gay, or demonstrate their authenticity to the larger community.

Funded by a grant by the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, the $150,000 adverts are already turning heads. Hopefully, it will turn even more and make a difference.

Ads Target Homophobia [The New York Blade]

New York State Black Gay Network

We can’t say enough good things about the Trevor Project, the LGTB org that offers a year round hotline for gay teens considering suicide. The Advocate has an exclusive online interview with Executive Director Jorge Valencia in which he notes what we queers can all do beyond sending cash to help out:

There are always signs of depression during the holidays, but I think there are many ways that anyone can help. The most important is talking about suicide if you see the signs. Oftentimes people are scared to talk to someone directly about suicide because they’re afraid of introducing ideas into their head, but that’s completely the opposite [of what’s true]. The more you talk about it, the more likely they are not to attempt suicide. Don’t be afraid to talk about suicide. And of course, our hotline is open every single day of the year in case anyone needs to talk to us confidentially.

Most charities suffer a post-holiday slump where many loose the giving spirit as they get back into the daily grind, but we think this is a great time to consider donating say, ten percent of your Christmas cash to one of the most successful GLTB charities out there. But if you spent way too much on your that May-to-December boyfriend's gift and can’t lay out the dough, at least keep their digits handy. You never know when you might cross paths with a person who really needs someone understanding to talk to. 1-866-4-U-TREVOR.

Keeping LGBT youth alive [The Advocate]
The Trevor Project [Official Site]