The Importance Of Being Accepted When Coming Out As A Gay Individual

Younger children usually have an easier time adjusting to a gay and lesbian parented home. They haven’t learned the social biases against gays and lesbians yet.” (Nighlad).

In order to change the treatment of LGBT homeless youth we need to not only change our hearts but we need to change some laws. Chris Johnson focuses on just that, he talks about the reintroduction of an outdated law and how it’s being amended to include the LGBT youths. This inclusion will prohibit discrimination at federally funded shelters and social service programs. This article supports my research because it recognizes the special needs of the LGBT youth population to be protected from discrimination by federal grantees. It shows the growth our communities have made in the past several years.

In this article, the key research questions and hypothesis proposed are: 1) does the family acceptance and supportive behavior predicts show a difference in "…self-esteem, social support, general health status, depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and behaviors" (cite?) and can be influential to the health and mental health of LGBT adolescents and young adults? 2) Can the relationship between family and their children 's LGBT identity as they go into adulthood effect their health and mental health status? The hypothesis states that being accepted of LGBT adolescents can be connected to a decreased in mental and behavior health 's then increasing the chance of having positive influences in the phases of their adulthood.

Years after the National LGBTQ Task Force released their report calling LGBTQ youth homelessness an epidemic, these youths are still fighting each other for limited resources. Unfortunately, LGBTQ youth still do not have access to services that respect their identities. National

The problem of Suicide by LGBT Youth is that majority of them get bullied by their heterosexual peers. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014) Sometimes their parents will kick them out of the house because of their sexual orientation. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014) Myself being a part of the LGBTQ community, I never came out to my peers at school. I kept to myself so I never experienced the bullying due to my sexual orientation but I do hear the comments all the time by my father. My father always believed in a marriage should be a male and a female.

Sometimes personal struggles cause people to be homeless while those who try moving away from unstable lifestyles have few options, this may further be complicated if they are discriminated like those who identify with the LGBT groups. Identifying the homeless youths, including the runaways is potentially challenging, but when it is possible to reach them it helps to improve access to affordable housing services. While people may view the economic causes

Homelessness is an epidemic that plagues many people across the United States for many different reasons. However, for young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, living homeless can become especially difficult. Young people of the LGBT community are being put out of their homes, rejected by their families, and shunned by their communities in which they live because of their sexual orientation, something that they themselves have no choice over. This is because of prejudices that are put out by the community as a whole.

Travers et al. (2010) conducted a qualitative study of service providers in Canada and found that even in a country that has been proactive with regard to LGBT rights there still remains significant barriers to service provision for LGBT homeless youth. Providers cited concerns about resources being clustered in one area that is not accessible to the majority of LGBTQ youth, as well as the types of services being provided focusing specifically on HIV prevention and decreasing the focus on other important issues. The providers indicated this singular focus often discourages LGBTQ youth from utilizing services. Additionally, concerns were raised about the lack of evidence based information on transgender youth, as well as a lack of training on LGBTQ youth issues. Providers denounced the use of specialists in LGBTQ issues, but instead insisted that all providers should be trained to provide services to LGBTQ youth. A common theme in the focus groups was recognizing a mutual responsibility. The providers expressed frustration that there appears to be a general denial within the community that LGBT youth present, and this seems to be significant when considering service provision that comes from religious organizations. The study indicates that across the board, agency attitudes have not caught up to social attitudes or rights. Additionally, they highlighted that the current focus of mitigating risks does not account for promoting appropriate well rounded services in light of systematic issues. According to a study by Durso and Gates (2012), the most significant barrier to service provision is funding, followed by population identification, lack of training, and lack of support. A qualitative study of professionals serving homeless youth; including youth that identify as LGBTQ voiced several concerning issues in serving LGBTQ youth. Discrimination

2). The center also indicated an increase in the numbers of youth who were kicked out of their homes during the past few years. Nearly nine out of the ten agencies reported assisting LGBT youth, and seven out of ten homeless LGBT youth indicated family rejection as a major contributing factor to their homelessness (Grant, et al 2).

Every day in the United States, a young person, under the age of eighteen faces homelessness, and most often it’s because of others. In a report by The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, it was noted that 26% of LGBTQ youth were kicked out of their homes when they came out (Ray, 2006). The Urban Justice League reports numbers as high as 78% of LGBTQ youth that “were removed from or left their foster care placements because they were un-welcoming or hostile towards their sexual orientation and/or gender identity ” (Feinstein, Greenblatt, Hass, Kohn, & Rana, 2001). The United States is an independent, individualistic country; we prize the freedom of expression, but do we really? One of the most significant, if not the most important, social structures is the family. Gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals who are aware of their sexuality, must create an alternative self to present to family and friends, especially if there is an understanding, verbalized or implicit, that homosexuality is not tolerated, or simply wrong. Many gay, lesbian and bisexual men and women would rather go with the flow, assimilate, not make waves, rather than to express their own gay identity, and risk ostracism.

My first experience with someone who was gay, it was easy to accept. I grew up in a very open home that told me it was okay to be who you are. Once I asked my friend how he knew he was gay, he told me he tried to date girls but he was not comfortable in a relationship with a girl. However later in high school he began to grow feelings for a mutual male friend. That moment he knew who he was then sophomore year he came out as openly gay. From what I saw from this is to prove a point he did not choose to be gay but found his sexual identity. He always says I was born this

It can be very difficult for LGBTQ children to be open about their sexuality or gender orientation, especially if they do not receive support from the ones who are supposed to love them no matter what. Parents positively influence the health of their LGBTQ children by providing support an encouragement. Children should be able to talk to their parents about their issues and receive beneficial advice and support. Parents’ influence on the health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens: What parents and families should know explained that parents who support their LGBTQ children decrease the risk of the children becoming depressed, abusing drugs or alcohol, and committing suicide(Centers for Disease Control). Therefore, I believe that parents of LGBTQ youth can have a significant impact on the health of their children. As a country, we must encourage each other to accept people for who they are. It is imperative that this acceptance beings in the home and at

Very few parents expect their children to be different. Some of them even dread the thought of the day they discover that their little girl or their little boy is starkly different from their peers, and even their family. The day their child comes out, whether expected or not, could provoke any sort of mixed feelings. However, the child is the one who has to break the news; they have to sit their parents down, to tell them they are in the LGBT+ community, and try to hold back tears at their parents’ reaction, whether it is being overjoyed that they are accepted so readily or being heartbroken at the disapproval in the eyes of their biggest role models. The LGBT+ community is there to comfort and support those who experience this, whether they are a child kicked out of their house or a young adult who hasn’t spoken to their family since they moved out. This community is misunderstood and portrayed as weak, when in reality, the people in this community I am a part of are some of the strongest people I have ever met.

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.

(2009)” Studies showed that these children and young adults are as popular as children reared by heterosexual parents; at school they have grades within average, the same level of stress as other kids. In general, they have normal relationships with peers and adults. Most of them accept their parent’s sexual orientation; some even get inspired by their parent’s courage to be different.