Marching for LGBT youth, Shirt Off My Back

PHOTO BY KNYCKOLAS DAVIS

UPDATE: Details about the march starting at 5 p.m. -- Take the Shirt Off Your Back to STOP Homophobia! -- is on Facebook. Click here.

On Monday, May 17, the Shirt Off My Back group will march to heighten awareness about the plight of homeless LGBT youth during Atlanta's International Day Against Homophobia (ATL IDAHO).

Organized by Laura Gentle, she explained their purpose:

Shirt Off My Back Campaign came into existence because of the immense support of Atlanta's LGBT community in starting this new organization. Through our work with service providers, we see every day the impact that homophobia and transphobia have on LGBT persons.

There are an extraordinary percentage of LGBTQ persons experiencing poverty and homelessness in Atlanta, especially youth, simply because of intolerance. Shirt Off My Back is about raising awareness and helping all people in our local communities.

We are proud to join ATL IDAHO this year in calling for an end to homophobia and transphobia in Atlanta and beyond.

Demonstrating unity with Atlanta IDAHO, Shirt Off My Back (SOMB) team members and campaign supporters will march down the streets around Midtown up to the event venue at Virginia-Highland Church to arrive shortly before the 6 p.m. event meet-and-greet gathering. Some marchers will go shirtless while others will hold signs relating how dangerous homophobia is and statistics tied to LGBTQ persons experiencing extraordinary rates of discrimination, poverty, and homelessness as a result of hate and intolerance.

If you haven't heard of or seen the SOMB campaign, prepare yourself for breathtakingly poignant portraits that dramatize the need for clothing donations to assist low-income and homeless service providers in metro Atlanta. To view the campaign, visit the SOMB website.

Jaysays recognized Laura Gentle -- a straight ally -- as an LGBT Hero, a well-deserved distinction for her activism. In September 2009, when police raided the Eagle bar in Midtown Atlanta, Jay quoted Laura who "helped organize many protests and community events to fight back against such discrimination." She said:

I felt I needed to stand up as an ally to draw the straight community into this issue as I feel it effects everyone who loves Midtown and doesn’t want it change for the worse.

On May 17, we will come together -- gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people with our straight allies -- to march, to educate, to learn, and to stand up.

Atlanta IDAHO organizers welcome Laura Gentle and the efforts of the Shirt Off My Back organization.

Anyone interested in SOMB can follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/ShirtOffMyBack or join the campaign at SOMBcampaign.com.