Posted on 01/30/2007 2:14:55 PM PST by presidio9
Two national advocacy groups Tuesday accused the federal government of neglecting what they described as an epidemic of homelessness affecting tens of thousands of gay and lesbian youth, many of whom leave home because of conflicts with their parents.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless said gay, lesbian and transgender youth make up at least 20 percent — possibly as much as 40 percent — of the total number of homeless and runaway youth, a fluid population which experts have estimated at 575,000 to 1.6 million each year.
"The national response to this epidemic has been nothing short of disgraceful," Matt Foreman, executive director of the task force, told reporters during a teleconference.
He urged Congress to increase appropriations for the federal Runaway, Homeless and Missing Children Protection Act, which must be reauthorized next year, and said some federal funds should — for the first time — be targeted specifically at boosting programs to aid gay and lesbian youth.
Citing incidents of anti-gay harassment at homeless shelters, the task force and homeless coalition recommended that some shelter space be set aside solely for gay youth. They also said any organization seeking public funding to serve homeless youth should be required to prove its staff would treat gay and lesbian young people competently and fairly.
In a report completed in December, "An Epidemic of Homelessness," the two groups cited estimates that roughly one-fourth of gay and lesbian teens are kicked out of their homes after their parents learn of their sexual orientation. The report said many gay youths experienced physical violence during the process of coming out.
Once homeless, the report says, these young people are more vulnerable than their peers to problems of mental health, substance abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. The report's lead author, task force policy analyst Nicholas Ray, said about one-third of homeless gay youth engage in "survival sex" — exchanging sex for money, food, clothes or drugs.
Assessing existing programs for homeless youth, the report said public funding was inadequate, and asserted that more than 6,000 youths in 2004 were turned away from programs that lacked resources to help them.
The report also expressed concern that President Bush's push for federal funding of faith-based organizations might lead to situations where a church-run shelter program would discriminate against a gay youth seeking services.
Dilo Cintron, 25, a gay man who spent five years homeless in New York City, said staff at one shelter he used were so unsympathetic that they once walked by without intervening while he was being assaulted in a laundry room.
According to Ray, gay youths at a homeless shelter in Michigan were required to wear orange jump suits to distinguish them from other youths.
The report also cited several programs that were providing effective services to gay youth, including Green Chimneys in New York City, Waltham House in Waltham, Mass., the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit, Ozone House in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Urban Peak in Denver.
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It being that homosexuals make up less than 2% of the population, this number seems a bit implausible, but it gets better: This is Bush's fault...
(wait for it)
(wait for it)
The report also expressed concern that President Bush's push for federal funding of faith-based organizations might lead to situations where a church-run shelter program would discriminate against a gay youth seeking services.
Two random incidents are enough to condemn all private charities as far as the buttsex comunity is concerned. Pathetic.
[Two national advocacy groups Tuesday accused the federal government of neglecting what they described as an epidemic of homelessness affecting tens of thousands of gay and lesbian youth, many of whom leave home because of conflicts with their parents.]
We should make it a crime for gay and lesbian youths to be homeless. That would solve the problem.
Why did I read this again?
Wow. Not one word about the drug abuse that permeates the "lifestyle" and leads to this "homelessness".
It is more likely that they left home after their parents made the unreasonable rule that they cannot have sex at home. The Master Race needs to teach their parents a lesson.
OK, I guess a couple of those homeless Lesbians could move into my house.
In other words, 8% of all children in America between the ages of 12-17 are runaways living on the street.
There's a believable statistic.
Okay, somebody tell Barney Frank to stop hopping up and down and yelling "I've got room! I've got room!"
Hey, Dildo Cintron, you are not a Gay Youth. You are 25 years old. Have you considered getting a job?
Who else can they blame for being gay and homeless? Themselves?
The GNL groups have plenty of money for lobbying, etc. Why don't they spend it on these kids, instead?
LOL good analysis.
"Journalists" have not caught up to the fact that the internets allow us to check their loony lies, and that computers come with a calculator.
Homeless gay youth?
An answer looking for a question.
What are there...all of 3?
[Spit]
Just what HAS the National Gay and Lesbian groups done to help? Looks like they would be glad to offer a helping.........hand.
Just don't expect them to look anything like the ones on "The L Word."
We should make a law forbidding youth to be gay.
OK, I guess a couple of those homeless Lesbians could move into my house.
They want special subsidies for people because they're gay. You'll end up with a lot of homeless people lying to get special treatment and the queers ostracizing them. It wouldn't be discrimination, no...
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