Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Place for LGBTQ Youth

by Carl Siciliano

From the founder of the nation’s largest housing program for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, a tender, uplifting account of his friendship with a nonbinary teenager and dozens of queer kids who inspired him to live a life of service and resistance

Our need for family is not easily extinguished.

Carl Siciliano met Ali Forney—a Black nonbinary teenager overflowing with life—in 1994, while working at a daytime center for homeless youth in New York City. Nineteen years old and driven from home, Forney was the heart and soul of the community, known for infectious laughter, fierce loyalty with friends, and an unshakeable faith that “God loves me for who I am.”

Then Ali was murdered, a moment of horror and devastation that exposed the brutality that teenagers like Ali faced in a city swept by gentrification, housing insecurity, and the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic. Motivated by Ali’s spirit and inspired by their shared community, Siciliano fought to create a home where homeless teens could live, socialize, and feel loved—bolstered by his own rejection from the church as a gay Catholic man.

This is Siciliano’s story of mending hearts broken by displacement and rejection, including his own. In stories poignant and uplifting, Siciliano shares what he learned from Ali and thousands of other queer teens—wounded, brave, spirited people who lived true to their inner experience and created family under desperate circumstances—while he helped lead a movement that compelled New York City to invest millions of dollars in kids who'd been ignored for decades.

Written with heart and profound insight, it's a landmark personal narrative, bringing to life an untold chapter of LGBTQ+ history and testifying to the power of community, solidarity, and the human spirit.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Memoir, Queer, Biography, Adult, History

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 21, 2024

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Place for LGBTQ Youth by Carl Siciliano is a clarion call to do what's right for our LGBTQ youth. It is screaming call to repentance to all those, especially parents, who have tossed their LGBTQ children to the streets in the name of religion. Ironically, Sicialiano does it with a love that those parents could never muster. The stories he shares are as harrowing as they are heartbreaking. They are stories that must be told. He tells these stories compassionately and calls on us to do better. Regardless of your sexuality, these children are all our children and we must do better by them as Siciliano pleas. This book is one you will not soon forget. Thank you to #netgalley and #ConvergentBooks for the opportunity to preview this book.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, written with care and humility as well as passion, is an essential contribution to the LGBTQA genre of literature. Carl Siciliano worked with homeless queer youths for years, advocating for decent shelter and living conditions until, in the aftermath of the murder of one of his closest clients, he set out to create such a shelter himself. This is the story not only of life on the streets for gay and trans people who have no where to go, and explained in graphic detail how they live their lives and what happens to them when they are rejected from their homes, from society. It is the story of a determined, traumatized, angry and passionate group of people who made a community of their own.

They organized by confronting those who denied them. Speaking to politicians and clergy who would rather they go away, and not allowing those people to cling to their rhetoric of exclusion of 'otherness'. Dealing with the financial responsibilities and those within the circle who would undermine progress to create a viable community to serve otherwise disenfranchised, marginalized young people.

The book is written passionately, with love and anger, including the author's own experience growing up religious and his need to re-interpret his faith. So many first and second-hand accounts of miracles and tragedies.

You cannot read this and feel you MUST contribute to saving lives of these people you see on the street who have absolutely nothing, no one, who have been disinherited, and feel hopeless of ever living a successful life.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the PRIVILEGE of sharing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shandy Kayy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, especially the LGBTQ+ community and learn the good bad and the ugly this is it. It’s raw and brings attention to our broken system.


I was gifted this book from the publisher and author in turn for an honest review. Thank you both!

[Amanda K]

Not a happy read, but optimistic in that it shows there are still good people doing good work in this world. I was initially surprised at the amount of religious messaging, not knowing anything about the organization or the author going into it, but all I can say in the end is that this book talks about religion in the way that religion SHOULD be. I avoid giving star ratings to memoirs/nonfiction, but please consider this book highly recommended.

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making Room is a compelling mix of memoir and the history of queer homeless youth in America. Carl tells an amazing story of his advocacy for LGBTQ youths in NYC and the issues he faced with multiple mayors and governors of that city and state. I did not expect this book to have so many spiritual and religious undertones to it, but it made the book even more special.

Carl's faith and his own identity as a gay man paint a beautiful story of how one can be a Christian and LGBTQ, that these two identities are not oppositional and that one does not have to give up one for the other. Unfortunately, as he notes, in a stark contrast, the majority of abandoned LGBTQ youth come from religious homes that threw them out for trying to be their authentic selves. As someone who grew up in a home that had similar beliefs and was steeped in a religious tea of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, it has taken me years to even consider and acknowledge that there can be a meeting of religious and queer identities.

While this book had a lot more going on, I found Carl's discussions of his spiritual life to be particularly compelling and hope that some Christians will pick this up and find them changed for the better after reading it.

[Brooklyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off thank you to Net Galley and Jessalyn Foggy from Penguin Random House - Convergent Books Team for an advance copy of Making Room.

Carl Siciliano has written a memoir and origin story of the Ali Forney Center - a non profit helping LGBTQ homeless youth find housing and services. This is more than a history - it’s a heartfelt story of Carl - his origins and how that led to his interest in homeless LGBTQ youth - and his relationship with Ali Forney - a trans homeless youth who touches Carl very deeply and who’s tragedy (not really a spoiler) inspired the Ali Forney Center. Carl originally work with Safe Space - a NYC supportive place for homeless youth but which did not supply housing in New York in the 1990s. Two things stick out in the book - Carls deeply spiritual view of his mission - starting with his work with Catholic Worker and then to his own spirituality as he grew disillusioned with churches but not a search for greater meeting. The other thing is the entertaining and heartbreaking stories of the kids - how most were kicked out of their homes when they came out - often the ejection from religious reasons of the parents and culture. These are the kids nobody wants and their homelessness in NYC is devastating. Also this is the story of the hope they found with Carl -
That somebody cared and supported them - sometimes for the first time.

My only criticism - is Carls heavy emphasis on his spiritual journey which may turn off some people (not me though) - and some filler chapters at end after Ali Forney was set up - but these are minor points in the larger landscape of this moving journey and history. It will open your eyes and heart as it did mine!

[Renee Gall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book perfectly encapsulates the important but sometimes overlooked social issue of LGBTQ homeless youth.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Yet the two of us soon discovered that we inhabited a terrible contradiction. Both of us were wholehearted lovers of God, and both of us were queer.” (32)

“Our paradox was this: The very God whose name was used to persecute us was simultaneously the bedrock of our strength and hope as we fought for survival.” (32)

“Inside my head was a voice saying I could not fully serve God until I was honest about my queerness. Nor could I stand with integrity among oppressed people if I hid the part of myself that was subject to oppression.” (38)

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cried all the way through reading this. Harrowing stories of what queer youth have had to face and continue to face, but so much hope, care and inspiration - showing “the true extent to which we are responsible for one another and obligated to carry one another’s burdens”. Wherever you are Carl, you’re my hero!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly moving read.

[Bob Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Siciliano has written a book with a thorough narrative of LGBTQ homeless young people and the efforts by him and others to make a meaningful difference in their lives. Along the way he describes how his spiritual experiences led him to help others in this way. He puts a recognizable face on them and helps us learn what leads them to being homeless, who they are and what they need.

This book will enlighten, educate and inspire you, and I recommend it highly.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC.

[lids :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

written with such love and humility, this is a compelling work that mixes queer history and heartbreaking memoir

[Cari Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going into this book, I had a general idea of the homeless LGBTQ+ teen population, but I had no idea how extensive it was or how young so many of these vulnerable teens were when their families abandoned them to the streets.

Reading this book brought me to tears as I wanted to reach out and embrace each and every teen and let them know that they are perfect just the way they are and that it is not their fault for the situation that they have found themselves in. My anger towards their parents and the churches that enabled this vitriolic mindset when it comes to gender and sexual identity continues to grow even after I have finished this book. Everyone needs to read this book to understand the pain, the heartache, and most importantly the need for shelter for these kids so they can grow up into successful adults. Carl Siciliano is one of my new heroes and I admire his perseverance and strength when things went sideways and always finding a way to provide these teens with the support and love that they both craved and needed.

For fans of Tracy Kidder's Rough Sleepers and members and allies of the LGBTQ community.

Thank you to NetGalley, Carl Siciliano, and Convergent Books for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Madelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“They are our children.”

Siciliano compels the LGBT community to prioritize the care of homeless youths through an emotional retelling of his work, relationships, and religious experiences. I was initially put off by the spiritual aspect of Siciliano’s writing, but having read the entire piece I understand that spirituality and religion are central both to Siciliano’s plea and the experiences of queer homeless youth. He argues not only that a loving God would ask us to care for each other, but that we encounter Him when we live with and for the most marginalized peoples in our communities. Siciliano explores this argument earnestly and critically, which, I think, keeps it relevant and impactful even for those who do not share his religious convictions. He’s
certainly convinced me.

[Jim Curtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I nearly cried so many times. the author's descriptions of the obstacles his clients faced in life, and the efforts he made to ameliorate them, are so important to read.

[Chelsea Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, help me. I don’t want to be a bitter bitch.

[Trudie Barreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

This powerful book, like most of the excellent books related to the LGBTQ+ community, came to my attention via Kittredge Cherry and her extensive QSpirit blog that provides a wonderful compendium of all the most relevant recent titles relating sexuality and spirituality. It is going to be difficult for me to give this narrative and the endeavor it describes the praise it deserves without “going overboard”, but I’ll try to be both thorough and restrained.

This is author Paul Siciliano’s documentation in memoir format of – as the subtitle says – “three decades of fighting for beds, belonging, and a safe place for LGBTQ youth.” Most specifically, it describes the founding and development of the Ali Forney Center in NYC. The author himself is a gay man in a committed relationship with his husband Raymond, but he had significant struggles in early years relating to his sexuality and his Catholic faith. After a number of years of committed service to the poor via the Catholic Worker movement, and time spent developing his own contemplative spirituality in Benedictine monasteries, including “Christ in the Desert” in New Mexico (my own home state!) he became both disillusioned and distressed not only by the official Church condemnation of any form of sexual deviancy, but also and even more by the extreme doctrinaire attitudes and lack of compassion that resulted in the expulsion of LGBTQ children from their homes. This in turn led to desperate efforts of such homeless youth to survive, including becoming involved with the sex industry and/or drug and alcohol addiction.

On encountering homophobia even in Catholic Worker and other charities as well as ordinary parish churches and dioceses, Siciliano disaffiliated from these groups and instead became involved with SafeSpace, a drop-in center for homeless youth, where he met Ali Forney, a trans woman of African American heritage and deep spirituality. While a sex worker herself for survival, Ali was extremely compassionate, and committed to counseling and assisting peers, promoting safe sex and AIDS prevention. Ali and Paul Siciliano became close friends as well as coworkers at SafeSpace, and it was via their collaboration that the author became keenly aware of and deeply committed to the project of expanding the capacity of the drop-in center to offer overnight accommodations for their young clients. When Ali was found murdered one night, Paul became determined to fight for providing such “beds”, both via private charity and making use of government funds which should have been utilized but often weren’t.

The bulk of this extremely authentic and relevant documentary does in fact deal with the ongoing heroic efforts of the author and others to acquire funding and develop appropriate facilities. Running throughout is the theme of the tragedies of rejection of children by their own parents, and also by the churches and the greater community. As a counterpoint is the extraordinary compassion of others, including celebrities. One of the anecdotes Siciliano shares is a chapter titled “The Holiday of the Divas”: on Thanksgiving of 2016, right after the Trump election, both Madonna and Lady Gaga – completely independently and secretly, even unknown to one another – arranged to visit various sites which were part of the Ali Fortney Center. This chapter concludes:

“Later that afternoon, both divas, within minutes of each other, posted news of their visits on social media. The queer blogosphere was soon filled with millions of voices going on about how every LGBTQ teen in America was jealous of the kids at the Ali Forney Center.”

Although the author has now retired from active work with the Center, obviously he remains both practically and spiritually deeply committed to its work, and this book is a major contribution to the ongoing efforts of consciousness-raising and counteracting our current cultural callousness, dehumanization, and even vicious attacks on LGBTQ persons, especially those being perpetrated by government and religious organizations.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Making Room,” Carl Siciliano has written a passionate, unflinching memoir focused on his arduous efforts to create safe spaces, to make room, for homeless LGBTQ+ youths in New York City. Forty percent of all homeless young people out on the streets are LGBTQ+, most of them tossed out by their own parents for religious reasons. As Siciliano declares, “these are our children” that are being thrown out like garbage, left to survive by sleeping on the streets, or if they are lucky, on the subways or in parks. These young people are forced to sell sex to earn enough money for food and the barest of other necessities. They are made to feel worthless and unloved. Many die young, often by murder or suicide.

Mr. Siciliano, being gay himself and also a victim of being disowned and ordered out of his home by his own parents, knew how these young people suffered. He made it his mission to do whatever he could to help them. In the 1990s he was successful in gathering enough support to set up a day center that offered medical care, counseling, meals, fellowship, and an environment of caring and respect. But there was no space nor funds for overnight accommodations despite Mr. Siciliano’s enormous efforts to get help from other organizations, private donors, and politicians.

In 2002, Mr. Siciliano experienced a deeply life-changing event when one night Ali Forney, a trans woman client with whom he shared a special bond, was shot in the head on the streets. He felt he had somehow let Ali down and he became driven to push ahead with any means he could muster to try to get overnight shelter for “his children.” It took years, but eventually, slowly but surely, the Ali Forney Center came to fruition. Its mission as stated on aliforneycenter.org is “to protect homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning youth from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to be independent.” As part of the program, private homey apartments became available for many of the homeless youth of the LGBTQ+ community.

We also learn about Mr. Siciliano’s own deeply religious roots which reveal that a strong spiritual life with God and living as a member of the LGBTQ+ community is not antithetical. Being LBGTQ+ myself, I found this to be very heartening and something I believe in as well.

There are numerous stories, both uplifting and heartbreaking, about many of the clients of Safe Space and The Ali Forney Center. I imagine many of these anecdotes will stay with me for a very long time.

Sadly, after all that Mr. Siciliano achieved during his almost 30 years of advocacy, there is now a strong right-wing movement in our country aiming to undo all the accomplishments brought about by the decades of blood, sweat, and tears shed by persons such as Mr. Siciliano and others to “make room” for the LGBTQ+ community in our country. I pray that it doesn’t all come tumbling down under the mantra that God hates gays. Not my God. My God and the God of many others love all people, not only in the LGBTQ+ community but within all the other minority groups in our country. We must continue to “Make Room” for everyone. This is a very important book especially at this time in history, and I highly recommend it.

I would like to thank Net Galley, Convergent Books, and Carl Siciliano for the advanced copy. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

[Cavak · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know, I'm not going to be fair here. I can't help comparing The House of Hidden Meanings with this book. RuPaul described a fascinating and troubling time period of his life, about in the same city and historical timeframe as Siciliano sometimes. Even facing the same dangers and acceptances as gay men with traumatic experiences within their family. They both have seen and experienced harrowing events in their lives. Powerful endings/epilogues for both books.

I realized as I read Making Room that what was lacking from my reading experience in The House of Hidden Meanings was a sense of togetherness. Siciliano is laser focused on how much it matters to advocate for one's values; RuPaul focused on his ego and otherness, how he felt detached from the gay culture as a whole.

That's fine for an artist and celebrity to be conservative for the sake of privacy. Maybe he was speaking the truth for the circles he was involved with at the time, and self-admitted emotional dissociation probably didn't help either. It did come across as cold when RuPaul passingly mentioned his gratitude that not too many people he knew died of AIDS.

Meanwhile, Siciliano's memoir is the exact opposite of that. Vulnerable and fair, he is not singing his own praises. He is open with his failures as much as his love for the people he's come to know in his life. In ways that I hadn't really expected either before I read. So much I've learned from what he's shared, especially about how much it matters to elect the politicians who live by their word. When the struggle for fundraising is an engrossing struggle for life and death.

Yes, I know. Two different lives, two different vocations, two different living circumstances. Makes for compelling reading perspective for me.

Admittedly, I'm not the hugest fan of mainstream Catholicism so it's curious to read about his mediations about faith. It can sound preachy at times with his occasional Biblical anecdotes, yet Siciliano is considerate to reel them back and use them to better illustrate his own views of religion. Whatever can motivate him to believe in helping others is amazing in my heart.

What propelled Making Room to higher peaks were the myriad of personal anecdotes that are included within this book. When Siciliano confessed he could write ten books for all the young people he's met, he wasn't kidding. His recollection of their stories are a bittersweet combination of heartwarming and heartbreaking. Of course there is Ali, and so many others too. Just to think that they're only a margin is eye-opening.

Plus, Siciliano has got pages of acknowledgements with walls and walls of names. That parting "thank you" got to me, too. You know he means it with every single one listed within it.

Making Room is not just Siciliano's story, and I really appreciate that for a founder of a nonprofit organization like the Ali Forney Center. Please read this book. It's not the easiest read at times, yet it's filled with lots of hope. I hope he's able to get back to that podcast someday.

I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Society as a whole views the homeless (even families!) as an expensive avoidable nuisance, teenagers of any stripe are viewed as problematic, and LGBTQ youth are viewed as even lower than the seediest long-term alcoholic in the streets. Carl Siciliano is the founder and executive director of the Ali Forney Center, dedicated to homeless L.G.B.T.Q. youth and is a nationally recognized advocate and provider for homeless LGBT youth and has been dedicated to this population since 1994. This book recounts the REAL problem (it is us) and the steps he has taken to make a dent in the ignorance of too many and what positive measures have been taken so far. There are stories both of despair and hope that can lead us to become more humane to each other.
Did you ever notice that we have more shelters for animals than we do for broken and abused humans?
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Convergent Books via NetGalley. But it was not TTS enabled so I bought the epub version but wound up sharing it away. Now I bought the audio and (even better!) it is narrated by the author!

[Jendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A luminous memoir and social history about following Jesus by living in solidarity with homeless queer and trans teens. This is a spiritual autobiography that should become a classic. Siciliano shows how we could save children's lives with a small fraction of our city and state budgets, yet often ignore this population because of racism, queerphobia, and even respectability politics in the gay community. Moreover, the problem would not exist on such a huge scale without hateful theology from Christian institutions that causes families to throw their queer kids out on the streets.

Siciliano poignantly describes a lifelong struggle with his Catholic faith. The church is responsible for a great deal of abuse, but the tradition also gave him role models for a life of sacred service, like St. Francis and Dorothy Day. As a spiritual touchstone, the author returns to memories of Ali Forney, a murdered genderqueer teen, drug user and survival sex worker, who proclaimed unshakeable confidence in God's love. The LGBTQ homeless shelter that Siciliano named in Forney's honor continues to do good work to this day.

[Carolyn Lucarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Space for LGBTQ Youth is an extraordinary memoir that has found a lasting place in my heart. It's a deeply personal and unflinchingly honest account of what it takes to build safety and belonging for LGBTQ youth, and the immense love behind that work.

What sets this book apart is how beautifully it weaves together activism and spirituality. The author's voice is rooted in lived experience, compassion, and faith, giving the story both emotional weight and a sense of sacred urgency. The story of Ali, with their steadfast faith and resilience, is especially moving and unforgettable.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested in social justice, LGBTQ rights, or the intersection of faith and advocacy. It offers not only insight but hope, showing what’s possible when courage, love, and dedication come together.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's not just a memoir—it's a beacon of hope and a call to action that lingers long after the final page.

Thank you, Carl Siciliano, for writing this powerful and deeply important book.

[Sidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Making Room" as a part of our staff book club and found it to be a beautiful and honest insight into the labor that goes into housing and caring for the some of the most vulnerable and marginalized in our society. I really enjoyed how Siciliano blended personal narrative, professional experiences, and musings about the conditions that create homelessness in the first place. I also found the parallels created between his Catholic faith and the work that he does to be a great way to frame the narrative. Overall, this is a great memoir that I would recommend to anyone servicing LGBTQIA+ youth/young adults, those in faith communities, and to folks doing human service work.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Place for LGBTQ Youth by Carl Siciliano

Making Room . With these two words in the title, Carl Siciliano says it all. Doesn’t everyone deserve room on this planet? Room to breathe. Space to sleep comfortably, to eat with family, to study, to play, to be? Room to be who we are without hurting others or without being hurt, harassed, or outcast? Regardless of color, creed, gender, nationality, or sexual orientation? Room to love and be loved.

The rest of the title is Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Place for LGBTQ Youth . Siciliano has dedicated a major portion of his life working to provide safe space in New York City of homeless youths. Not all, but very many had been rejected by their parents, abused, sent packing because of their sexuality. In the early 1990s, there was only one shelter in New York City where adolescents could spend the night; many LGBTQ kids refused to go there because they knew they’d be assaulted, molested, or at the very least, made to sleep on the floor or apart from other teens. The center where Carl worked, SafeHaven, did not have the financial means to be open 24-7. That meant that kids were out on the street again at night; many chose the streets or riding the subways rather than go the other facility. Although this was dangerous, to them, it seemed the better alternative.

Siciliano writes with passion – both affection and frustration – about the youth who passed through the doors of SafeHaven. As a gay man himself, he understood some of their issues, but he could never walk in their shoes. He did not do drugs or rely on sex to earn money as many of these young people did. He writes often of his struggles with his faith and how he’s relied on it during the ups and downs of his work. He writes with deep feeling about the young gay and transgender people whose lives became intertwined with his in the course of his job of providing a safe space for them to be. It seems that it would be easy to disparage the religion and his church when in those days, especially, gays were basically told they were going to hell. But through much prayer and reflection, Carl’s understanding of God’s love meant loving and caring for the downtrodden and the oppressed. He writes with fondness of numerous clients; it’s impossible not to be touched by his commitment to these young people. He applauds their successes and mourns the deaths and other failures. There are some lighthearted, fun moments as well as some very heartwarming ones.

However, the author does not spare his criticism of the system or of certain individuals who have turned a blind eye in years past or who do so in the present. Things have improved in New York with a change in the mayor and governor, but there is a dearth of homeless shelters in America’s cities and towns, especially those that welcome young LGBTQ individuals.

When an administrator at SafeHaven misused funds, Carl blew the whistle. He was forced to leave and eventually was able to start a new facility, which he named in memory of a former client. It is called the Ali Forney Center, named for a gender-nonconforming youth who deeply touched Carl and so many others with his/her/their joyful spirit. Those interested in learning more can go to the website at aliforneycenter.org.

There are some, particularly in politics and in other conservative organizations, who want to restrict rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and their families. After decades of hard work by people like Carl and countless others, the dignity and the very right to study, work, enjoy life – to live – is under threat. Carl has retired, but the work of the center goes on. Now, in his book, he is spreading the word. Thank you, Carl, for this wonderful book!

I received a digital copy of Making Room by Carl Siciliano as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and the author.


5 stars

[Raymond Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve read this year. It is beautifully written, raw, gripping, heartbreaking and deeply moving.

Making Room examines the crisis of LGBTQ youth homelessness through the life and death of Ali Forney, a nonbinary youth Carl came to know and admire. You see this huge effort to protect and support homeless queer youths that Carl spearheaded after Ali was murdered.

I laughed, cried, got enraged and finally felt inspired. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an *incredibly* well written book! I met the author at my company's LGBT event for Pride Month and got a free signed copy so wasn't expecting much but this memoir tracks a 30 year career helping the most vulnerable youth on the streets of New York. From helping to run a day program to launching one of the largest shelters in the country, Siciliano has done a lot of good for a lot of people, but it was the quality of his writing that made me really appreciate his story.

[Evelyn Avoglia]

No mud, no lotus. Ali Forney Center founder Carl Siciliano’s Making Room is conversation, chronicle, confessional and call to action. Read it. You’ll weep, but you won’t be sorry.

It works on the heart as an incandescence - both illuminating and incinerating. It invites readers so moved to get their ashes moving.

“They are our children.”

[George Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good look into the systemic problems that face homeless LGBTQIA+ community in New York and the US in general. This is why I am proud to sponsor my schools GSA, or as we call it, YANA. You are not alone.

[Angela Weiland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughly enjoyed this read! It was the perfect blend of the most important things to me and it was very well written! Highly recommend to anyone working with the unhoused population or anyone wanting to know more about the non-profit world!

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting Carl & listening to him speak on his experience leading The Ali Forney Center & on his lifetime of advocacy. Carl is an engaging, entertaining writer & speaker and I feel I learned a lot after reading Making Room.

[Joe Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For when the structures that govern our lives treat any group of human beings as disposable, the very act of affirming they are worthy of love becomes a birthplace of resistance.”