BY: ASHLEY JACKSON
With the recent passing of marriage equality and an increase of transgender individuals in the media, the plight of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning and/or queer (LGBTQ) individuals is, perhaps, more visible in the media than it has ever been. While this attention is warranted and past due, one subgroup of those individuals remains overlooked: LGBTQ youth, especially those in foster homes.
LGBTQ youth are more often placed in foster homes than their heterosexual peers; 25% of bisexual and gay boys compared to 17% of heterosexual boys, and 45% percent of lesbian and bisexual girls compared to 27% percent of heterosexual girls, have been placed in foster care.[1] Similar statistics are true for gender non-conforming youth where34%ofgender non-conforming boys and 47 % percent of gender non-conforming girls have experienced life in foster homes.[2]
LGBTQ youth enter foster care at an alarming rate, yet they only have a limited number of placements that can adequately meet their needs. They are in a unique position due to their age and several obstacles and questions arise due to their presence alone. Which roomshould transgender youth sleep in: girls’ or boys’? Will the foster parents be accepting of the identity or sexuality of the LGBTQ foster child? Should a male homosexual foster child be allowed to sleep in the girls’ rooms because they might feel safer or more comfortable there?
Like any other youth in foster care, LGBTQ youth have experienced some form of trauma and this trauma could take on any number of possibilities; their family might not be able to provide a stable home, their parents might be incarcerated or deceased, or they might even be unwanted because of their sexuality or gender identity.[3] Regardless of the reasons why the LGBTQ youth are in foster care, they should be treated with the same level care and respect as any other foster child. False perceptions about these young adults need to be addressed to create safer living arrangements. These safer living arrangements begin with the law, government agencies overseeing foster youth, and potential foster parents understanding that LGBTQ youth are not going through a phase, they are not sexual predators, their sexual identity was not caused or created, they are not mentally ill or dangerous, and their sexuality or gender identity cannot be changed.[4]
The legal structure presiding over America’s foster children must also recognize that it is imperative to achieve and maintain a healthy mental state among LGBTQ youth because of staggering statistics like the estimated 33% of transgender youth have attempted to commit suicide.[5] Many LGBTQ youth have run away from foster homes or are placed in other homes due to transphobia or homophobia and, unfortunately, some are placed in more restrictive facilities, which only further isolate kids who already feel alone.[6] Rather than continuing to move these teenagers around like furniture, foster homes should be modeled to fit the unique needs of these young adults.
Foster parents should educate themselves on the issues that the individuals in their home will face, and respect their right to confidentiality with respect to their gender identity or sexuality in order to prevent harassment and discrimination.[7] The legal system must also make it clear that foster parents cannot subject LGBTQ youth to conversion therapy; rather, they should encourage their foster children to be who they are, even through acts as simple as allowing their transgender foster children to be addressed by their preferred name and dress in their preferred clothing. [8] Creating an environment that is free of hate and accepting, especially from others in home, is important because acceptance is ultimately going to lead to a better chance for the youth to develop into happy and well-adjusted adults.[9]
[1] Angela Irvine, “We’ve Had Three of Them:” Addressing The Invisibility of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Gender Non-conforming Youths In The Juvenile Justice System, 19:3 Colum. J. Gender & L. http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/content/weve-had-three-of-them.pdf 675, 692 (2010).
[2] Id.
[3] Supporting Your LGBTQ Youth, ChildWelfare.Gov, https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/LGBTQyouth.pdf (Sept. 3, 2015).
[4] Id.
[5] LGBTQ Youth in Care, Nrcyd.Ou.Edu,http://www.nrcyd.ou.edu/lgbtq-youth(Sept. 3, 2015).
[6] Id.
[7] Foster Parents Caring for LGBTQ Youth, LamdaLegal.Org http://www.lambdalegal.org/sites/default/files/gdtb_2013_06_foster_parents.pdf (Sept. 3, 2015)
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
