Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual And Transgendered Youth ( Lgbt )

The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to

I write today to request your permission to research solutions that will enable LGBTQ youth who have become homeless to find safe and appropriate services tailored to their special needs. In order to properly investigate the available options and make recommendations to my community, I will have to research the circumstances that leads to LGBTQ youth homelessness, the challenges they face and what’s already available to them.

LGBTQ adolescents, also called sexual minority youth, have a higher risk of developing mental and emotional problems than heterosexual youth, and also face more bullying, harassment, and victimization due to homophobia (Craig, Austin, & McInroy, 2014). In order to address their needs, the researchers used group therapy that was based on

School psychologists must help create and foster an environment that educates administrators, teachers, and non LGBT students. Many lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender youth do not feel safe in school. Sexual minority students may suffer harassment (verbal and/or physical) from teachers and peers. As a result, they may experience more absences than heterosexual students. In addition, LGBT youth may turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of coping with the stressful school environment (Patterson 2013, p.192). Many will contemplate or even commit suicide.

Part of my training in becoming a counselor, I have developed and continue to develop skill to advocate for all youths. Through mindfulness training, I want be an advocate for LGBTQ youths by empowering them and providing useful skills that promote independent living. Every youth, gender conforming or non-gender conforming, deserves the right to live a success, content and fulfill life.

Classrooms, consisting of 9th-through-12th graders from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, were randomly sampled to complete the Boston Youth Survey. The correlation research study excluded schools that served adults, previously incarcerated students, suspended students, and severely disabled students to minimize introduction of confounding variables. Participants in the Boston Youth Survey (BYS) were asked specifically with regards to their individual-level sexual orientation and suicidal ideation and attempts among other questions. Of the 2725 individuals sampled, 1878 completed the survey and were asked, on the sexual orientation item in the BYS questionnaire, to identify themselves with 1 of 6 categories that best described themselves: (1) completely heterosexual, (2) mostly heterosexual, (3) bisexual, (4) mostly homosexual, (5) completely homosexual (i.e., gay or lesbian), or (6) not sure. Respondents were then asked explicitly "Have you seriously considered attempting suicide?" and "Have you actually attempted suicide? [within the 12 months preceding survey administration]" with yes and no response options for those questions (Duncan & Hatzenbuehler, 2014). To test their hypothesis, researchers then obtained LGBT hate crimes data with help from the Boston Police Department Community Disorders Unit and linked the community information to

Various interventions implemented within the school setting have shown to improve the social environment for the LGBTQ population. A report by the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University traced the effects of LGBTQ bullying in a school setting included unintentional statements like “that’s so gay,” or more direct verbal harassment, and physical violence in school hallways (Russell, Ryan, Toomey, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2011, p. 225). The data from the project’s survey of 245 LGBTQ adolescents links bullying to long-term health and developmental problems. It was discovered that LGBTQ targeted bullying related to gender expression or sexual orientation during school years led to increased adolescent depression, suicidal thoughts, social adjustment issues and risky sexual behavior (Russell, Ryan, Toomey, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2011, p. 225). LGBTQ adolescents that reported high levels of anti-LGBTQ victimization as teens were 5.6 times more likely to report suicide attempts than those victimized less frequently. Those who reported suicide attempts were more than double as likely to be diagnosed clinically depressed, and they were more than twice as likely to report having been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease by young adulthood. In the paragraphs to come we will examine how bullying impacts

LGBTQ youth in particular are at high risk for suicide attempts and completions. In the largest national survey of transgender adults to date,

Most LGBT youth become happy with who they are which gives them room to thrive during their adolescent years. Attending a school that has a safe and comfortable environment for every student is especially important. Positive environments can help all youth achieve good grades and maintain good mental and physical health. However, some youths are more likely than their straight peers to experience bad health and life outcomes. Experiences with violence, compared to other students, come easy to LGBT individuals that can cause increased risks for unfortunate circumstances.‘Violence’ includes behaviors such as teasing, harassment, and physical assault. It is important that students at risk have access to resources and support to deal with any questions or challenges they may have or face as they mature. Surveyed LGBT students reported 10% were threatened or injured, 34% were bullied, and 28% were bullied electronically.

From above paragraphs we have seen that lesbian, gay, bisexual youth face discrimination and marginalization fostered by the social systems that serve them.

Any person who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, also known as LGBT, or someone who is questioning their sexual orientation is considered to be a queer youth. The article, Queer Youth and the Culture Wars discusses how queer youth are challenging the cultural norms of sexuality in schools as they are displaying their sexual orientations at a much younger age (Meyer, 2009). Many queer youth are faced with rejection, discrimination and harassment not only from other students but also teachers and administrators. A recent study shows that queer youth who could identify supportive faculty members had a higher GPA than those who did not have any faculty members supporting them, and they were twice as likely to attend college (Meyer, 2009). This shows the major role teachers play in a student’s

Along with verbal abuse, LGBTQ youth also experience physical violence in schools across the country everyday. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s sociologists such as Joyce Hunter thought that much of the physical abuse happening towards the LGBTQ population stemmed from the stigma and fear that came from the AIDS epidemic that was spreading rapidly among the gay community in that time. In a study as recent as 2003, 60% of LGBTQ youth had reported being assaulted physically due to their sexual orientation (Chesir-Taran, 2003) These physical actions towards the gay and lesbian youth has caused many to fear going to school. In fact, many LGBTQ students avoid school in order to escape the physical harassment. This drop in attendance has detrimental effects on the student’s academics (American Educational Research Association).

Within families, homophobia can appear in the forms of verbal abuse, physical threats, or physical attack. In a survey of GLBT teens in Rhode Island, 58 per cent of GLBT females reported experiencing these three types of victimization committed by their mothers, 34 per cent by their fathers, 24 per cent by their brothers, and 15 per cent by their sisters. In the same survey, GLBT males accounted 30 per cent victimization by their mothers, 23 per cent by their fathers, 43 per cent by brothers, and 15 per cent by their sisters. The most significant predictors identified as a risk factor of GLBT teen suicide is negative family interactions (Quinn, 2002).

Marginalization may also be the explanation for the high risk of self-harm in gay, bisexual, transsexual teenagers who are 2 to 3 times more likely to self-harm than heterosexual young people, this groups results in regular absenteeism at school due to homophobic harassment. 50% of those reported bullied at school had contemplated self-harm, 40% of those had self-harmed at least once. A survey in 2000 to 2002 interviewed 2,430 lesbian women, gay men and bisexual men and women in England and Wales and concluded that there is a greater link between discrimination and mental health issues. (Truth Hurts, Mental Health Foundation 2006).

There is a tremendous amount of LGBT youth that experience homelessness in the United States, and forty percent of them identify themselves as LGBT. There are so many issues that cause homelessness in the LGBT community such as discrimination in religious communities, lack of support from families and rejection from society. But in a world where these issues are all around us, how can we solve this? It starts with every individual to just stop and maybe educate themselves on this unique youth community and the struggles they must face to bring in equality. This education can start with volunteer work, educational classes, or even support groups. The problem is the discrimination against the LGBT youth community, so many do not understand what it means to be in the LGBT individual and the obstacles they must face such as finding a job, going to school and finding a place to live, etc.