Warning Signs of Suicide | The Trevor Project

Now that the new year has begun and the festivities are over, it's time to get back to talking about the pressing issues of LGBT bullying, suicide and homelessness.

We present here information from The Trevor Project, one of the nation's leading non-profit organizations for teens that offers many services for LGBTQ teens and others who are struggling with emotional issues surround gender identity, family crisis, bullying and being homeless. That's what this blog is about and the more information I can get out about these socio-economic problems in our society of throw away kids, the better chance I have of saving at least one life.

• Nine out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe (GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009).

• LGBT students are three times as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel safe at school (22% vs. 7%) and 90% of LGBT students (vs. 62% of non-LGBT teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year. (GLSEN From Teasing to Torment 2006)

• Sexual minority youth, or teens that identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, are bullied two to three times more than heterosexuals. (Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 2010)

• Almost all transgender students had been verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened in the past year at school because of their sexual orientation (89%) and gender expression (89%) (GLSEN: Harsh Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nation’s Schools 2009).

• LGBT youth in rural communities and those with lower adult educational attainment face particularly hostile school climates (JG, Greytak EA, Diaz EM – Journal of Youth & Adolescence 2009)

• Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents are 190 percent more likely to use drugs and alcohol than are heterosexual teens (Marshal MP, Friedman MS, et al – Addiction 2008).

• It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (2006 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of Homelessness). 62% of homeless LGB youth will attempt suicide at least once—more than two times as many as their heterosexual peers (Van Leeuwen JMm et al – Child Welfare 2005)

I encourage each of you to first, VOTE in the upcoming elections. The results are going to have a direct impact on all social services directed towards youth in crisis, and second, volunteer, give of your money or time to help put an end to these problems.

Welcome to the New Year 2012 -  time to get going!

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January 1, 2012 and a New Year Begins!

News is slow around the holidays as the events surrounding the ringing in of a new year seem to take precedence over the social and political issues we should be watching. However, to give the new year our "certificate of importance", here is a picture from Las Vegas, NV of fireworks from the Las Vegas Strip.

Our wish is that in this very important election year every eligible voter gets out and votes their conscience for the candidate that will best represent and follow through with their campaign promises, especially as they relate to LGBTQ issues and the Equality of the LGBT community to be legally married, be free from bullying, and to end the horrific consequences of suicide and homelessness among teens in this country.

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A Very Happy New Year to Everyone from Las Vegas

I hope that the new year brings all the joys and dreams to fruition for everyone out there.

In spite of the sluggish economy the hotels are reporting almost 100% occupancy for the holiday weekend. That's wonderful news to a lot of people needing work, but please remember that Vegas also has a very high rate of homeless teens. So while thousands of people will be celebrating on the Strip, thousands of teens will also be trying to keep warm, find food, and just survive the welcoming new year.

If you want to help, please visit the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, a wonderful organization that provides so many services to homeless teens, by visiting their site and remembering that not everyone is just "getting by."

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Utah Teen Outed by School Officials... to "Protect" Him?

School administrators in a Utah middle school "outed" a teen against his will saying that they were preventing him from being bullied by doing so. The Alpine School District teen who has remained unmentioned by name was out to his friends, but not his parents.

Coming out to your parents is a very hard,  very  emotional and troubling time. To have school officials tell your parents you may be gay before you're ready is going above and beyond their responsibility to protect kids while in school or on school premises and can lead to disastrous results for the outed teen.

Civil rights groups blasted the move as a violation of the student's right to privacy.

"The school's decision to disclose deprived the young man the right to reveal highly personal aspects of his life at a time and manner of his choice," Joe Cohn of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Cohn said there are serious consequences in such cases, especially in communities where homosexuality can carry a tremendous stigma.

"Taking away the choice for a LGBT student to come out on their own terms opens the door to significant risks, including harassment at school and family rejection," network Executive Director Eliza Byard said in a statement. "Schools should be able to provide LGBT students with support and resources in order to make an informed decision if and when they decide to come out to their school community and family."

 One out of four homeless teens are LGBTQ according to recent statistics. Most of them were thrown out before the age of 18 for coming out to their family and friends.

This move on the part of school administrators violates every common sense thought about protecting someone from being bullied. Apparently they don't possess common sense, or most likely, both that and are very uneducated about what it's like to be LGBT. Educating teachers and school officials is of the utmost importance in preventing teen bullying, homelessness and teen suicide as a result of identity struggles with being LGBT.

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LGBTQ Homeless Estimated at 1,500 in NYC Alone!

This is another in my series of ongoing blogs regarding LGBTQ homeless youth in our cities.

For twenty years, In The Life Media has been a leading media organization for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement. One of the nation’s most honored and influential LGBT groups, In The Life Media creates social and political change by examining issues critical to LGBT individuals and providing audiences with powerful ways to advance equality within, and beyond, their communities.

Produced by In The Life Media, the Emmy-nominated series, IN THE LIFE, was the first-and remains the only-LGBT issues-oriented show on public television. IN THE LIFE is a two-time Emmy Award nominee, a Lambda Legal Liberty Award honoree, a Seigenthaler Award recipient from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and a Ribbon of Hope Award recipient from The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: www.ITLMedia.org

There are an estimated 3,800 homeless youth in New York City. About 1,500 of them identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Government funding provides fewer than 200 shelter beds for all homeless children in the city.

This year, the State of New York slashed its budget for homeless youth services by 50%, despite the already inadequate funding for shelter space and services. 

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Young, Gay And Homeless: Fighting For Resources

Unfortunately I find that I'm writing more and more about a segment of our society deemed by many to be throwaways - homeless teens. Among this group between 30 and 40 percent fall into the LGBTQ group, many kicked out of their homes for being gay, or even for being perceived as being LGBT. As this article points out, and as I strongly feel, the race for equality we are so vehemently struggling for as adults is running over this group of high need young people.

In the struggle for equal rights and marriage equality we are leaving behind, or ignoring, some of the neediest of all. They are teens that are forced to survive in any way they can, whether it be by stealing, robbing, even giving up their bodies for sexual favors. Anything to survive all because nobody wants them.

In New York City, nearly 4,000 young people are homeless every night — many of them gay. Based upon statistics that's a potential 1,600 LGBT teens that have been kicked out or left the safety of their homes because they are gay, 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week, 52 weeks a year. As if that wasn't shocking enough, a greater percentage of them are beaten by bullies and gay bashers and left to die in the street, victims of a society that chooses to ignore its most vulnerable in favor of material things and money. Even worse, our society encourages the bullying openly. Shame on us as parents, shame on our society, and shame on those who cut social programs in favor of budget shortfalls caused, in part, by excessive waste and greed among the politicians who are supposed to enact legislation to protect our children.

This holiday season ask yourself,  what am I doing to encourage this, or help stop it?

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Philadelphia - City Hall recognizes LGBT homeless youth

Just when I was wondering if we had forgotten about homeless youth, especially LGBT youth who have a much higher probability of being homeless due to coming out to parents who are not accepting, the city of Philadelphia does something right.

For the first time ever, the city is formally recognizing November as Runaway and Homeless Youth Awareness Month, marking the occasion with a proclamation that was read Tuesday at City Hall by Gloria Casarez, the city’s director of LGBT affairs.

“National Homeless Youth Awareness Month provides an opportunity to shed light on the issues of youth homelessness and the challenges [the youth] face daily,” Casarez read. “Along with losing their home, their community, their friends and their routines, as well as a sense of stability, many homeless young people are victims of trauma. While trying to survive on the streets, youth are exposed to countless dangers with increasing likelihood of substance abuse, early parenthood or depression.”

According to C2P (Housing Committee of Connect To Protect, a coalition of youth-serving agencies and advocates, organized by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), LGBT youth are disproportionately affected by homelessness, with an estimated one in five Philadelphia homeless youth identifying as LGBT.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless:

•  20% of homeless youth are LGBT compared  to a general LGBT youth population of 10%.
• LGBT youth, once homeless, are at higher risk for victimization, mental health problems, and unsafe sexual practices. 58.7% of LGBT homeless youth have been sexually victimized compared to 33.4% of heterosexual homeless youth
• LGBT youth are roughly 7.4 times more likely to experience acts of sexual violence than heterosexual homeless youth
• LGBT homeless youth commit suicide at higher rates (62%) than heterosexual homeless youth (29%)

It would be great if this city's recognition of LGBT homeless youth issues would spread throughout the country and hopefully, lower crimes and suicide, against and by, LGBT youth.

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Spirit Day October 20th

October 20th - Spirit Day!

I hope that as many as possible wore Purple today to help focus attention on Spirit Day and a smattering of subjects, including bullying, teen suicide, gay marriage, and other LGBTQ issues. I wore my "It Gets Better" t-shirt so that I could talk to everyone I met about it. Guess what! It worked...and people in general, even in my red-necked, rural town of Vermont at least were willing to listen to me and wish the best for all those that struggle with any of the issues I mentioned.

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Study: GLBT Youth At Much Higher Risk than Straights for Homelessness :: EDGE Philadelphia

I reported this previously, but with such a high rise in teen suicides in this country and the greater risk of abuse and homelessness for at-risk children in areas and states that have anti-gay legislation on the books (as in the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota -- which lies in the district represented by Congresswoman and anti-gay politician Michele Bachmann), it needs to be emphasized that LGBTQ children are more affected and pay a higher price from the anti-gay rhetoric of organizations, politicians, schools and administration supported bullying, teachers, and especially families who "toss them out" for being gay.

Homeless LGBTQ teens and kids receive less attention and help than heterosexual ones and have a much higher suicide rate. In a study, conducted by Children’s Hospital in Boston, the results found that 15% of GLBT teens are homeless. By comparison, only 3% of heterosexual teens are in similar straits. The American Journal of Public Health published the study on July 21.

That study’s results were confirmed by a study published earlier this year, "Suicide and Suicide Risk in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Populations: Review and Recommendations." The report shows that GLBTs who live in states where their rights are denied or are subject to popular vote suffer elevated instances of anxiety and depression, along with the kinds of substance abuse problems that are known to stem from those mental states...more

Study Finds Alarming Number of Gay Teens Are Homeless | News | The Advocate

Study Finds Alarming Number of Gay Teens Are Homeless | News | The Advocate
Study Finds Alarming Number of Gay Teens Are Homeless | News
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/...

According to the article:

Gay youth are far more likely than their straight counterparts to be homeless, according to the Children's Hospital Boston study, whose author warns of "a serious problem requiring immediate attention."

“These teens face enormous risks and all types of obstacles to succeeding in school and are in need of a great deal of assistance,” said Heather Corliss, whose findings show for the first time the magnitude of the homeless gay youth population. Corliss said these are "much higher numbers than we'd expect" given that gay youth are a minority.

Less than 5% of the more than 6,000 high school students surveyed identified themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. But those students accounted for 19% of the homeless. Among straight students, 3.2% were homeless.

“This suggests that they may be more likely to be mistreated or rejected by their families and more likely to leave home,” Corliss concludes.

Because the research was done only in Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal and where researchers believe homosexuality might be more accepted, they warn it's possible that the rate of homelessness is actually higher in other parts of the country.

Having experienced this myself (except for having to be homeless), I can say that the problem is much bigger than this article proposes. I adopted a young boy while in a 15 year relationship and it was the best experience I could have gone through. While it ended the 15 yr. relationship, saving one soul from the hatred and emotional pressure of being "tossed out" was well worth the loss. Adopt or help out!