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S.F. youths take back their voice
Advocate, The, Feb 28, 2006
As the controversy surrounding writer JT LeRoy's true identity heats up, young LGBT San Franciscans are demanding their own apology from the self-proclaimed former Bay Area hustler. "We expect an apology, not simply for defrauding the public into giving money to repeatedly defaming our community, both in articles and interviews, referring to other street youth as 'sharks' and to himself as a 'dolphin,'" reads a January 14 statement from participants in Youth Space, a collaborative program sponsored by the San Francisco LGBT Community Center and the Eureka Valley Recreation Center.
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As the author of well-received novels and short stories about drug-addled street life, LeRoy claimed in media interviews that he had been a part of that environment when he was a hustler in and around San Francisco. LeRoy, who appears in a wig and sunglasses in public, recently told The New York Times through his lawyer, "As a transgendered human subject to attacks, I use standins to protect my identity."
Whether LeRoy is gay, female, transgender, or just make-believe, San Francisco LGBT youth say they feel they've been duped. "Stealing our voices and using our pain for your profit is inexcusable," reads their statement. "You thought we had no voice. Here is our voice."
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