Preview

Lgbtq Youth Thesis

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1189 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lgbtq Youth Thesis
The problem
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual transgender, and queer identified (LGBTQ) runaway and homeless youth are of the most vulnerable groups in this country. Homelessness, particularly among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer youth is an enduring example of a social problem in our society. In the state of California, it is estimated that roughly 15 to 25 % of the homeless youth identify as being a member of the LGBTQ population (Milburn, 2006) Communities are not aware of the real issues that these youth face, their day to day struggles.
Homelessness in the United States is a growing issue among our youth, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services homeless and runaway youth is estimated to between 575,000 to 1.6
…show more content…
The homeless LGBTQ youth engage in several different survival strategies to survive life on the streets that include substance abuse, survival sex, self-injury and sometimes forming street families because they are deprived of economic support and deprived of love. As, a result many of these strategies end up being illegal behaviors, contributing even more to the stigma of their identity as homeless LGBTQ youth. Many also viewed as having delinquent behaviors, many lack skills and resources needed for employment, so they find themselves with almost no options of survival.
The LGBTQ youth who are rejected by their families were also more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide, nearly 6 times as likely to report high levels of depression, are more than 3 times as likely to use illegal substances, and are more than 3 times as likely to expose themselves to high risky sexual behaviors such as HIV, and getting sexually transmitted infections (Bernstein & Foster, 2008; Van Lewen,
…show more content…
We must talk to parents about how isolating, telling their children that they are shame of them, and keeping silence is a form of rejecting who they are and is putting them in great danger. At the same time, no one can deny that there is a lack of affordable housing, poverty, and failures within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems to prevent youth from entering life on the streets. On the Macro level systems should be further evaluated to address their role in contributing to this most alarming issue. Making shelters and transitional housing programs safe for LGBTQ youth improves conditions for all homeless youth regardless of sexual minority status. Culturally competent treatment in providing housing services to LGBT youth. Low housing occupancy limits and private showering facilities. Social Workers should be trained on LGBTQ non-discrimination and sensitivity. LGBT-specific homeless youth programs should be created. We also must care about the LGBTQ homeless youth because is wrong to leave theseyouth on the streets, as this could be anybody’s children.

Much of the research to date has focused on the pathology of youth and or their families (Garret et al.2008; Raleigh-DuRoff, 2004; Slescnick, 2009). However, when this happens we miss the opportunity

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The LGBTQ community has developed and changed over the years, gradually becoming more inclusive of all types of sexual and gender identities. It brings a sense of belonging to a group of people and gives many that land in the span of the LGBTQ spectrum places that they know they can go to where they will be accepted. However the community that queer people have built around them and the acceptance of the diversity and complexity of how people identify themselves does not always transfer into other aspects of life. The LGBTQ spectrum is ever changing adding new identities all the time, however they are not always readily accepted by all. Gender and sexual fluidity being among the ones that have had to face their battles to have basic rights…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    A critical intersectional analysis of the LGBT community reveals there are many layers of discrimination inclusive of race, gender, class and sexuality resulting in an unbalanced distribution of power. In our patriarchal society, the cis-gendered, white, wealthy, gay male holds the most power as this figure aligns most closely to the heteronormative hierarchy of power. This directly results in the agenda of said figure to become the forefront of the LGBT’s political movements. As trans-gendered people, who has consequently have limited access to education, opportunity or wealth are the most marginalized; their basic needs are not met or addressed in the LGBT community. Spade articulates the legal ramifications of the marginalization the transgendered community, “The debates about gender inclusion in the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) or the exclusion of gender identify protection from New York State’s Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) are only the most blatant examples of mainstream lesbian and gay movement’s lack of gender-transgressive populations,” (Spade, :23.1)…

    • 770 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lgbt1 Task 1

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community is a community based on celebrating individuality, sexuality, pride, diversity, love, and acceptance. Also known as the gay community, LGBT people believe in promoting LGBT rights and fighting for social justice. UCLA School of Law (Gates, 2011) conducted four national studies and two-state-level population based studies. The results determined that there are approximately nine million adults in the United States that identify themselves as LGBT. Prehistoric findings show that the community has been a target for discrimination and persecution from individuals and groups that practice homophobia since 11th century BCE. Although today’s century has proven to improve the…

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Trevor Project

    • 4923 Words
    • 20 Pages

    Researchers have found that suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender youth (LGBT) is comparatively higher than among the general population. According to some groups, this is linked to heterocentric cultures and institutionalised homophobia in some cases, including the use of LGBT people as a political wedge issue like in the contemporary efforts to halt legalising same-sex marriages[citation needed]. Depression and drug use among LGBT people have both been shown to increase significantly after new laws that discriminate against gay people are passed.[1]…

    • 4923 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    True Colors Fund

    • 1138 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There have been a number of events held that raise awareness for LGBT young people who are homeless. For example, this April, the True Colors Fund launched their first annual Forty to None Day, a day that allows people of all kinds to connect on this issue through social media. But, it is not just social media that these concerned citizens are connecting on. This past Forty to None Day, there were photo booths where people took “Unselfies”, and people held discussion groups in which they discussed how to end homelessness in LGBT youth. In addition to Forty to None Day and everything else, True Colors Fund also gives these young people a voice in the government. True Colors Fund is working with the Palette Fund right now, drafting a bill that will benefit these kids if…

    • 1138 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In particular, homophobic discrimination among queer Latinx leads to “a series of emotions such as guilt, shame, fear, and sadness that may develop into mental health issues such as depression and anxiety” (Verduzco, 2016). In other words, perceived discrimination are the one of the many factors that can cause mental health issues. Especially, LGBTQI Latinx who are discriminated daily because of their ethnicity and sexuality. Additionally, homophobic discrimination leads to health disparities within the queer community which can cause a higher probability of risky sexual behavior and mental health issues (Verduzo, 2016). To enumerate, many negative health outcomes occur due to not acknowledging the persistent issue among sexual minorities. LGBTQI Latinx are excluded or neglected from the many narratives about Latinx because of the stigma towards the queer population. This neglect can cause a significant amount of poor mental health outcomes among queer Latinx due to not acknowledging the data and research that indicates LGBTI Latinx suffer from multiple mental health outcomes due to their labelled stigmatized identity. Compared to other racial groups, such as white or black LGBTQI, Latinx are have a higher prevalence of feeling sad (Bostwick, et al, 2016). For instance, “mental Latino youths are more likely than either Black or White youths to have considered and attempted suicide” (Bostwick, et al, 2016). These findings suggest, that there is a significant health difference among sexual minorities. LGBTQI Latinx have a higher risk which can be due to the different disadvantages each sexual minority group experiences. Therefore, when multiple stigmatized identities overlap each other such as sexuality and ethnicity, the more cultural-social barriers and mental health risk a minority group…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Homelessness is the condition of people without a permanent dwelling, such as a house or apartment.” In the United States over 500,000 people, almost a quarter of them children, were homeless this year. That’s over half a million-people living on streets, cars and or homeless shelters. 49,933 people, veterans to be specific, were identified across the United States as homeless, 51% of these homeless veterans have disabilities, 50% have serious mental issues, 70% have a substance abuse problem. Nearly one-quarter, 23% of the homeless are children under the age of 18. 10% are between the ages of 18 and 24, and 66% are over the age of 25.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Most LGBTQ children don’t run away, but they are forced out of their home by their parents. Some parents can’t accept their child’s sexual orientation. Frustrated or confused parents often let their emotions take charge, and that leads to a homeless child. Twenty percent of the homeless youth are the GLBTQ community (LGBT Homeless, 2012). To prevent this type of run-away the parent needs to come to terms…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Youth homelessness is a significant issue in Canada by comprising 20% of the overall homeless population (Gaetz et al., 2013a). Unique to youth homelessness is causation and solutions, as traditional adult interventions are not developmentally appropriate. The Federal government’s HPS fails to meet youths’ needs by prioritizing adult housing first to reduce chronic homelessness by 50% within ten years (ESDC, 2017c). There is an opportunity to address youth homelessness, as the 2017 Budget has provided an unprecedented $2.1 billion allocation to the HPS redesign (ESDC, 2017b). The writer was appointed to the Federal advisory committee on homelessness to provide youth-specific recommendations for the renewal. This paper’s objective is to critically…

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “ Almost thirty years ago, most people started coming out in their 20s, well after most had left home and started working. If someone’s family rejected them for being gay or transgender, it may have been emotionally painful, but the person could still likely take care of himself or herself.” (Quintana, Rosenthal, Krehely 2010) In the new millennium, our youth are coming out the closet at younger ages. They are coming out at ages where they are still dependent on their parents and guardians for food, money and shelter. For the LGBT youth in these predicaments, the shunning of their families many times leads to rebellion, trauma, suicide, mental illness, crime, sex trafficking, school drop outs, drug/alcohol abuse, etc. The lack of adequate resources such as shelters that support our youth instead of discriminating against LGBT youth and the ignorance to the issue causes this to be a growing problem. Perhaps a study which investigates the presence of homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered youth in America by raising awareness, increasing specific resources and valuing all human life we can eradicate this major…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Did you know that the majority of the homeless youth identify as being a part of the LGBTQ2 community? (The Homeless Hub). It is no surprise that the LGBTQ2 youth are overrepresented in the homeless youth population, fourteen years ago it was estimated that approximately twenty-five to forty percent of the homeless youth identified as LGBTQ2, this number has since grown (The Homeless Hub). Additionally, the City of Toronto Street Needs Assessment confirmed that about twenty percent of the youth in shelters identify as LGBTQ2 which is unsurprisingly more than double the rate for all age groups (The Homeless Hub). The LGBTQ2’s homelessness is most likely due to homophobia from peers and most importantly, the parents of the youth (The Homeless Hub). It is sad to say that the children who run away from their homes in hopes of escaping discrimination end up being discriminated against in the shelter system as well (The Homeless Hub). Some shelters simply refuse to accept members of the LGBTQ2 community, which ultimately means that the LGBTQ2 community do not receive the same amount of respect, and social services as the heterosexual community which is ethically incorrect (The Homeless Hub). The minimal support for the homeless LGBTQ2 community needs to be addressed, governments should implement laws and programs that protect the homeless LGBTQ2 youth (The Homeless…

    • 1992 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vulnerable Populations

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages

    It is during early in middle adolescent years that sexual identity begins to form. It is at this stage that some LGTBQ teens often struggle with many problems. Many feel isolated, suffer from poor self-image, mental health concerns, and conceal their sexual orientation. Counselors, therapists, and social workers are often called upon to help this disadvantage population deal with the many issues they experienced both individually and in a group setting. “ Sexual minority youth (SMY) is a term that is used to describe young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer. The higher prevalence of mental health problems among SMY suggests that successful prevention and intervention strategies should target this population in particular.”( Craig S, Austin A, Alessi E. 2012). Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been well-known as a best practice for adolescent populations who have difficulties with mental health problems. Research now suggest that incorporating CBT to address the complex experiences of SMY. The adaptation of CBT has been known to help SMY plot a course in the coming out process along with teaching SMY populations to develop skills to manage stigma and…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Youth Homelessness

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Unfortunately, many homeless youth are “befriended” by drug addicts or encouraged into prostitution. For many of the runaways due to abuse, many wonder how bad their situations must be if they would face addiction and sexually…

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sadly, a large reason why the LGBTQ community are homeless is because family and religion. Mostly, people aren’t very open to transgenders. Transgenders are coming out more and more now, which is a shock to some people. It’s also disappointing to see, since transgenders are just like everybody else. “According to the Family Acceptance Project, LGBTQ youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than eight times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGBTQ peers with little to no family rejection” (Working Together for Homeless LGBTQ Youth 1). Overtime, the traumatic experiences can ruin a person mentally, emotionally, and physically. The risks of getting STIs and engaging in risky sexual activities are also very high for the homeless LGBTQ…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Homelessness without a doubt can be categorized as one of the most dominant social issues in the United States. Particularly, when we consider young adults as a passel with higher possibility of evolving into the state of homelessness due to identifying as a part of LGBT community. Family rejection on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is the most prevalent factor contributing to the homelessness of the LGBT youth. The research of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has displayed that each year the figure of homeless youth calculates between 575,000 to 1.6 million . Furthermore, up to 40% of all adolescents who have no permanent domicile is recognized as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender while only approximately…

    • 186 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays