Lgbtq Essay

“It is acknowledged that home is where the heart is” (Pliny the Elder). However, it was a different case for adolescents coming out as LGBTQ. LGBTQ youth are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer between the age of 16-26.More and more youth are becoming homeless in the recent years. There is an estimated 65000 homeless youth in Canada (Raising the Roof, 2009). Street involved youth encounter an extensive variety of dangers, including high rates of psychological well-being issues, substance utilization, and exploitation. LGBTQ homeless youth have an increased chance of getting involved in survival sex, substance use, and criminal activities. LGBTQ youth homelessness is one of the biggest contributing factors of youth homelessness, as most cities do not have shelters targeted to LGBTQ youth. LGBTQ youth are at a greater risk of being homeless and the government has some responsibility not simply to see the cruelty to homeless LGBTQ youth but to provide shelter for them.

Approximately 25-40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ, while only approximately 5-10% of the general population identifies as LGBTQ (Josephson & Wright, 2000 in Youth homelessness in Canada, 2013). Despite the fact that LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the homeless youth population, they are frequently underrepresented in homeless shelters, because of homophobic and transphobic brutality that is not managed (Abramovich, 2015). Regardless of this disturbing finding, there are just few crisis/emergency shelters for LGBTQ youth in Canada. “Homelessness amongst LGBTQ youth has been reported to be on the rise and agencies serving homeless youth have identified challenges in providing support to this population of youth” (Yonge Street Mission, 2009). The Main reason that LGBTQ youth become homeless is peer rejection. In most cases when youth came up to their parents and told them that they were gay or lesbian, their parents kicked them out of their homes. Some were not even allowed to be friends with LGBTQ youth/individuals. When youth are kicked out or forced to leave home for reasons out of their control, they are suddenly faced with the stress of street life: finding shelter, safety, and food. Homeless LGBTQ youth face higher rates of criminal victimization. LGBTQ homeless youth are also at a greater risk of substance use while on street. Marshal et al. (2009) found that “The odds of substance use for LGBT youth were, on average, 190% higher than for heterosexual youth and substantially higher within some subpopulations of LGB youth (340% higher for bisexual youth, 400% higher for females)”. Abramovich states that there differences in substance use among LGBTQ youth and their heterosexual fellows for example, there was greater use of Methamphetamine amongst LGBTQ youth and greater use of Opioids (e.g., Heroin) amongst heterosexual youth (2012). The effects of substance use can cause some serious health risks, but substance use was not the only factor contributing to health risk of these LGBTQ homeless youth. There tends to be a greater chance of suicide in LGBTQ youth, and they generally have a higher mental risks, and increased chances of HIV infections.

Not having any shelters to go to, surviving on the streets is very hard for these LGBTQ youth. Homeless youth spend a large amount of time in parks, and street corners, which put their lives under constant bylaw and increase the probability of negative police attention (Abramovich, 2012). They are frequently kicked out of open spots, making it hard for them to discover safe places. At the point when in requirement for security, the threats of road life is restricted in what it can offer, and packed shelters additionally represent the danger of exploitation and crime