8
street roots
July 8, 2011
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C O U R T E S Y P H O T O O F SU E H Y D E /N A T IO N A L G A Y A N D L ESB IA N T A S K FO R C E
A voice tor the most vulnerable
Sue Hyde talks about the complicated pressures placed on homeless L G B T youths
BY BEATRICE BELL
STREET N E W S SE R V IC E
,
ue Hyde, director of the Creating
Change Conference for The National
V ^xGay and Lesbian Task Force, has been
a beacon in the world of LGBT rights,
drawing fire, but also guiding countless
advocates and activists on a new course for
gay rights. She has been a leader in the
fights to repeal sodomy laws, to end the
military’s ban on openly gay
servicemembers, to defend non
discrimination laws in cities and states, and
to preserve marriage rights for same-sex
couples. Her book, “Come Out and Win,” is
a primer for the gay rights movement
nationwide. Here Hyde talks about the
challenges faced by homeless gay teens and
what can be done to help them. ”
Beatrice Bell: Tell me a little bit about the
National Lesbian & Gay Task Force.
Sue Hyde: The National Gay & Lesbian
Task Force is a national advocacy
organization that works to create a society
in which lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and
transgender people will have full legal
equality and absolute social acceptance.
That’s our mission, that’s what we’re
working towards, that’s our vision, that’s
our goal.
B.B.: What is the Task Force’s relationship
with the homeless population?
S.H.: Regarding homelessness, our
advocacy and research work has focused
most specifically on the situation of lesbian,
gay, bi-sexual and transgender youth. It is
not uncommon for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual
and transgendered youth to be shunned by
their families and communities and rejected
by their schools. As a result of that, they are
either kicked out of their homes or become
runaways to escape anti-LGBT environment
either at home, in the community they grew
up in, or in the schools, they’re attending.
The problems that face LGBT youth, in
particular homeless LGBT youth, are many
and varied.
B.B.: Are they any more varied than just
regular teenagers on the streets?
but for LGBT youth who are homeless, the
identity issues and the lack of support
structures friake them especially more likely
to become involved with drugs and alcohol.
B.B.: Is substance abuse the only method of
coping with the problems facing LGBT youth?
S.H.: LGBT youth are (also) vulnerable to
S.H.: Yes! Not only are homeless LGBT
youth grappling with what all homeless
people grapple with (lack of housing, jobs,
healthcare and educational opportunities),
generally they also must grapple with the
reality of homophobia. For transgender
youth who are already not conforming to
standard definitions of gender, they are
dealing with a whole other set of issues
from lesbian, gay and bi-sexual youths.
Because (this population is) especially
vulnerable to depression, loneliness,
psychosomatic illness, withdrawn behavior,
social problems, delinquency and certainly,
for school age children, truancy.
B.B.: How does this population tend to cope
with these problems?
S.H.: How can a kid keep up with school
if she or he doesn’t have a home? That’s
already a problem for kids who are
homeless, but it’s especially acute for LGBT
youth. There is a particular vulnerability to
becoming engaged with substance abuse
and people who are on the street who are
without community support and without
family support are obviously more likely to
become chemically dependent in order to
cope with their depression, their loneliness,
with their alienation and the lack of ,
structure in their lives.
I think that’s especially true for
adolescent LGBT homeless youth.
Adolescents themselves are already
grappling with identity issues of all kinds,
"Not only are homeless LGBT youth
grappling with what a ll homeless people
grapple w ith (lack of housing, jobs,
healthcare and educational opportunities),
generally they also must grapple w ith the
reality of homophobia."
engaging in risky sexual behaviors in order
to get basic needs for food and shelter m et
This is called “survival sex.” Survival Sex is
the exchanging of sex for money, food,
clothes, a place to stay or drugs. It’s a last
resort for LGBT homeless youth, but it is
certainly something that happens. They are
also particularly at risk for sexually
transmitted diseases, especially HIV.
B.B.: Are LGBT youth living on the street
more likely to be victims of crimes than their
heterosexual peers?
S.H.: Definitely. Young LGBT people on
the street are mote likely than their
heterosexual peers to become victims of
crime. Their ability to report crimes to
police is reduced because they are
See VOICE, page 9