The Plight of Homeless Gay Youth

In a compelling column on the gay youth homeless epidemic, columnist Deb Price lays out some pretty terrifying facts:

B y the time Danny was 7 years old, he was already trapped in the tragic downward spiral that homeless gay teenagers so often describe when talking about how they found themselves living on the streets.

Danny was shoved from one foster home to another and repeatedly molested. He spent two years in a juvenile correctional facility. At 17, he tried living with his aunt, but she soon ordered him to get his "gay ass" out of her house.

Homeless, Danny got cash by reading people's tarot cards and a place to sleep by having "survival sex."

"I'd go to the library. I'd get on (Internet sites where men were seeking sex partners), just to find somewhere to sleep for the night, not for money. I slept with them so I could have a place to stay," he explained.

What kind of society puts any youth out on the street and at risk? It certainly is not a society that any of us should be comfortable with anytime soon.

While it will be more difficult for us to change the minds of the negligent and homophobic adults who force too many of our gay youth out onto the streets, we can immediately do more to protect homeless gay youth.

First, we should immediately provide safe, warm and comfortable places for homeless gay youth to live. While many communities have homeless shelters for youth, many of them are not equipped to deal with the special needs of gay youth. Staff at youth shelters need to be trained to work with gay youth and money from local governments needs to be invested in this training. No youth should ever be forced to have risky sex with adult strangers in order to secure a warm place to sleep at night.

Second, legal adult guardians who push underage kids out onto the street need to be held accountable. Local law enforcement hold these adults accountable for negligence.

And finally, more needs to be done to protect our gay youth from sexual predators preying on their vulnerability.

That is the least local governments should be doing.

Check it out: Homeless Shelter for Gay Youth in San Diego