LGBT youth continue to make up a hugely disproportionate percentage of the homeless youth population, not because their parents cannot take care of them, but rather because these parents (who typically are the part of the "godly Christian" crowd) have discarded them as if they were trash simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In short, these parents use their religious belief to justify what amounts to nothing less than child abuse and, in my view, states ought to start prosecuting such parents and/or forcing them to contribute to the support of their children. Meanwhile, in Illinois, state agencies are seeking to identify LGBT individuals and couples to either adopt or serve as foster parents for LGBT youths who have been thrown away by their parents. Here are some highlights from Gay Star News:
Fostering and adoption agencies in Illinois are looking to increase the number of same-sex parents on their books, in order to help young people disowned by their families because of their sexual orientation. According to Renee Lehocky, director of strategic initiatives at social services organization Lawrence Hall, around 50% of homeless LGBTI teenagers have come into contact with the Department of Children and Family Services. In the hopes of better meeting their needs, Illinois agencies are now partnering to increase the pool of LGBTI parents who would like to foster or adopt. Susan Stoga, board member for non-profit fostering and adoption education initiative Let It Be Us, told Chicago local press: ‘Usually, when you think about a child or a teen entering foster care, there is a set of circumstances you think about, like mom and dad cannot take care of them or they were removed. ‘With a lot of teens in the LGBTQ community, it’s because their parents don’t want to support who they’ve become, and that is heart-breaking.’
An outreach event at the University of Illinois in Chicago today aims to recruit more LGBTI parents to fostering and adoption, with further outreach programs planned. As Debbie Saucedo, senior director of operations at the Illinois Center for Adoption and Permanency, told the Windy City Times, ‘[LGBTI parents] are able to expose children to a diverse world and [are] able to accept those differences. ‘Also, when they adopt the decision is extremely intentional, and they tend to have more resources and more support systems.’ Lehocky added that the LGBTI community had been a largely untapped resource and that today’s targeted outreach event represented a first for many adoption and foster agencies.
While LGBTI parents may be a largely untapped resource, Saucedo revealed her agency had seen a 22% increase in same-sex couples adopting within the last year, which she hailed as ‘a great improvement’.
If you want to witness true "Christian" behavior, don't look for it among the "godly folk" who are today's version of the Pharisees of the New Testament. I openly admit that I hold these people in utter contempt and view them as a toxic evil that poison the world.
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