aprii 20. 2001 » ju s t o a it^ g
He adds that sexual minority youth
are also more accepted on the streets.
“There is a larger percentage of gay
youth on the streets than in the
school system because it is harder to
come out in school, especially in rural
areas. So, they leave and come to the
streets.”
Kerr attributes the culture of accep
tance to the survival needs of the
street. “They need one another."
Chantel adds, “It’s acceptance—
whoever you are.” She says a lot of
queer youth are on the streets. “All
the boys are bi or gay!” she laughs.
Chantel says her mother didn’t care
that she was bisexual. “My problems
with acceptance were at school,” she
says. “I was fat and white trash. Now,
everybody loves me. You know why?
Because those people went through
what I did!”
One of their survival techniques is
to blend in with larger society.
Chantel and Stephanie dress neatly.
Consequently, people treat them with
respect.
The Greenhouse drop-in center is the first stop f°r
Unlike the more visible homeless
homeless youth
adults everyone sees on the street,
Duke explains, homeless youth don’t
says. “He survived, but they’re in jail, and look or dress like they are homeless. “They
they’re proud of it. That kid should have known don’t want to be homeless. They hate the idea
better.”
of becoming a homeless adult.” The flip side is
One of the attractive attributes of the streets that the public doesn’t perceive that there is a
is its culture of acceptance. “Whatever baggage huge homeless youth population.
you have, whoever you are—you are accepted,"
The future of these kids is unclear. Both
Duke says. “Tilings that may have gotten youth Chantel and Stephanie have friends who
ostracized in school—they aren’t ostracized on have gotten off the streets. “I have seen peo
the streets.”
ple sleeping on the street and going from
Plant
Lost
sated
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Street kids allege that incidents similar to this occur all too frequently
there to having their own apartment.”
Stephanie is awaiting Section 8 housing.
Chantel is attending school at New Avenues
and hopes to get her GED.
They have been unsuccessful at finding a
job. Chantel attributes part of the problem to
lacking an address. “I tried to get a job—I
gave my address as Greenhouse—then the
lady said the job was not available,” she says.
“I want to make one point,” Chantel says
quietly, poking at her coffee drink. “Being on
the street—it’s nothing to glamorize at all. To
be honest, we don’t really like it down here.”
Stephanie shakes her head as she contem
plates life on the streets. “To stay on the same
street corner every day for five years...the
only thing that gets me up is the people.”
Chantel looks thoughtful. “When it rains, it
gets cold. A lot of kids go home. I wish I could
do that. I wish I could go home and it would he
normal like it once was.’ ’ jn
N A T A L IE S h a p ir o
is a Portland free'lance writer.
RESOURCES
• Outside In: 1236 S.W. Salmon St.;
503-223-4121.
• Greenhouse: 820 S.W. Oak St.;
503-239-1245.
• New Avenues for Youth: 812 S.W 10th
Ave.; 503-224-4339.
• Sexual Minority Youth Recreation Cen
ter: 2100 S.E. Belmont St.; 503-872-9664.
• Bad Date Line (alerts sex workers about
dangerous clients): 503-813-0966.
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