Miley Cyrus and a Call to Action

"Nobody's Perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days." Yes, that's Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana). Lately it seemed like Miley was having some of those days for quite some time. I liked Hannah Montana because it was Disney and I like Disney. You can say what you want and judge all the questionable activity of Miley, but there's more to the story. You can read the story here at The Daily Dot and Out Magazine. But basically Miley came out as non-binary (but not explicitly genderqueer). Hence, my avoidance of pronouns.  On a social level it's wonderful to have such a famous young icon for non-binary children/teens to look to. Not necessarily emulate everything, but that they now have a voice, a face, that the world can't ignore. Furthermore Miley started a charity The Happy Hippie Foundation that "rallies young people to fight injustice" and is dedicated to helping the homeless LGBT youth.

So this really got me thinking. All these issues that I've been writing about (identity struggles, depression, mental illness, suicide, self-harming, etc.) are more than just feelings to process or conversations to be had. These are as real as the air you breathe and food you eat. They are a constant and daily occurrence whether in your life or a friend's or the person you see on the street. In the side bar to the right I have a small list of different hotlines and information under Helpful Resources. I'll continue to add to it as I come across more resources, but that's for when you're on my blog, on the internet. What can you do when it's that person on the street that needs help? Directing them to my blog or any other online resource isn't the best option. When you're outside in the real world, you need immediate access to real people who can help in real time.

I live in NYC and I see people in need every day on the streets and in the subway. And then there are so many more than simply don't show any immediate physical signs of needing help or don't ask for it. Life is hard. And I'm not rich. As much as I would like, I can't even give a quarter to every single person I see in need. And it breaks my heart to the point where I've gone numb and blind. And we New Yorkers are always in a rush. We don't have the time. We don't think we have the time. Sometimes all it could take is one phone call to save a life, and I'm not talking about 9-1-1. At the very least give a smile. Treat them as the equal human beings that they are.

I challenge you to add these numbers and address to your phone contacts. It takes a few seconds now, and by tomorrow you'll forget that they're there. But when the time comes you'll be prepared to step in and make a difference. I'm doing this right now with you. Here are some NYC information and some of the links have information for other cities as well.

Homelessness:
Covenant House New York (homeless, runaway, at-risk youth)
460 West 41st StreetNew York, NY 10036(212) 613-0300

Bowery Mission227 Bowery, New York, NY 10002(212) 674-3456

Domestic Violence: Safe Horizon Hotline: 800.621.HOPE (4673)

Suicide/Crisis: The Samaritans: (212) 673-3000

Human Trafficking Hotline: 1 (800) 373-7888