LGBTHomelessYouth

A few weeks later, I rode busses for two hours to get to the city of Portland. I held my
breath and walked into the queer youth center for the first time. It was all concrete,
spray paint, bike parts, glitter, and BO, but for the first time I knew that I wasn’t alone.
I learned the beginnings of trust from other kids who had lost everything. We swore
allegiances to one another, built families in the back rooms of that youth center, in
parks, under bridges, in punk houses. We kept the promises we made. We grew each
other up, saving one another in ways no adults, no social workers or agencies ever
could. My story is not unusual or unique with the exception of that I survived. We are
the children of dysfunction, the product of families who don’t want us, but we built
our own queer families generation after queer generation. Don’t tell us you don’t
understand how a parent could kick their child out. Don’t tell us about how you don’t
understand that the streets and borrowed couches could feel safer than a childhood
bedroom. Listen when we tell you our stories.
I survived because of the queer family that I created. I believe that the most radical
thing we can do in a world that doesn’t want us is to build family, to create new
lives, our own families. Stonewall was a riot of homeless queer youth, and this is
our queer legacy.
LGBT homeless youth face severe and life-threatening health
disparities
As a consequence of family rejection, homelessness, and pervasive discrimination,
LGBT youth who are homeless are at greater risk for poor health outcomes compared
to their non-LGBT peers. Studies have found health disparities in several
areas, including substance use, mental health problems, and suicidality.
The LGBT Homeless Youth Provider Survey found that 53 percent of youth
served by these providers have histories of alcohol and substance use. 93 This number
reflects two co-occurring issues faced by LGBT homeless youth. First, compared
to their peers with safe and stable housing, homeless youth are at increased
risk for dependency on drugs or alcohol. 94 Second, among homeless youth, those
who are LGBT are at greater risk for drug and alcohol abuse. A 2006 study comparing
data across eight cities found that 42 percent of gay homeless youth abuse
alcohol compared to 27 percent of heterosexual youth. 95 The same study also
found that intravenous drug use was more common for gay homeless youth than
18 Center for American Progress | Seeking Shelter