The "Hidden Crisis": Kids Put Out "Like Trash" Just For Being Gay

As Think Progress is reporting, the Miami CBS affiliate did a story on the plight of homeless LGBT teens and the growing crisis of LGBT youth who are discarded as if they were trash by their parents simply for being gay. As one commenter on the Think Progress story notes "Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachman, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Sara Palin along with all the preachers bashing gays from their pulpits are all directly responsible for each and every one of these kids being on the street." I concur with that verdict 100%. These "godly Christians" are responsible for nothing less than criminal child abuse. And with LGBT youth coming out at earlier ages, the problem is in some ways worsening. To say the the situation is distressing is an understatement. It's but one of many instances that make me increasingly view Christianity - at least the conservative versions of it - as a force for great evil in our society and the world. Here are some highlights from Think Progress and a video clip from CBS:

There are approximately 1.6 million to 2.8 million homeless young people in the United States and a disproportionate number — 20 to 40 percent — are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. LGBT youth often run away from home because of family conflict and then “face overt discrimination when seeking alternative housing, which is compounded by institutionalized discrimination in federally funded programs.”

Last night, a local CBS affiliate in Miami, Florida offered an in-depth look into the crisis of LGBT youth homelessness and the children who are put out “like trash” by parents who refuse to accept them:


Studies show that 320,000 to 400,000 gay and transgender youth face homelessness each year and that many lose their homes at the young age of 13 or 14, as they come out to their parents. Fortunately, the Department of Health and Human Services is already providing “training and technical assistance to States and Indian Tribes on a wide variety of LGBTQ-related issues” and the Obama administration has released recommendations for providing the best possible care in shelters for homeless LGBT youth.

[M]ore must be done. There are currently no federal programs specifically designed to meet the needs of gay and transgender homeless youth and federal grant awards for homeless youth services “are being awarded to providers without mandating that they not discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has also introduced the Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act, a bill “designed to help homeless youth rejoin their families and escape life on the streets.” The measure calls for a “demonstration project for improving family relationships and reducing homelessness for LGBT youth” and the development of programs “that improve family relationships and reduce homelessness for LGBT youth.”

While I applaud the goal of Senator Kerry's bill, until religious based bigotry is faced head on and the special rights and deference given to religious based hate and discrimination are eliminated - including the introduction of tough criminal penalties for parents who discard their LGBT children - I suspect that homelessness of LGBT youth will remain a significant. Again, fundamentalist and conservative religious belief is a horrible force for evil in the world.