Homeless LGBT Youth: Decreasing Coming Out Age Driving Frightening Trend (VIDEO)

A CBS affiliate in Miami is shedding light on an oft-overlooked segment of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community: homeless LGBT youth.

The heartbreaking segment features profiles of several area youths who were thrown out of their homes after coming out to their parents, as well as local advocates working within that subcommunity.

As the report points out, one fact seems to be fueling the crisis: the average age of someone coming out or questioning their sexuality has dropped dramatically from 18 to 14 years old.

Comments

[jonandian]

10:12 PM on 02/20/2012

Its disgusting that in the richest country in the world we have such a homeless problem period. I love how all these mega million dollar churches preach about how love thy neighbor and how they SHOULD help the poor yet they take all of that money and do not help the poor.

The one thing religious people do to help homeless is create more by kicking their kids out of their homes when they come out. It is sad any teenager has to be on the streets because they are gay. this is an epidemic EVERYONE is ignoring

[fredimessina]

05:06 PM on 02/20/2012

There needs to be more resources to handle this issue. This is not something new by any means. The fact that we haven't acknowledged it as a real issue is quite astounding. And I'm not talking only non profit case management. I mean both emergency housing and shelters specifically for this demographic.

[PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS]

10:09 AM on 02/20/2012

What keeps me sane when I read of how "parents" throw their own children out of their home to adhere to an insane disgusting dogma put forth by some twisted dememted version of a religion is the thought of what will happen to these "parents" when they burn their mortal coil and approach the gates of heaven..........................

As they ask St.Peter for entry into heaven he will advise he needs to get approval from God. The very loud reply over the heavenly intercom is "Are they freaking kidding????"

[Kevin Dalton]

09:33 AM on 02/20/2012

I have a question: When people get divorced, in most cases one of the parents end up having to pay child support. If a parent kicks their dependent child out on to the streets could the child somehow sue for child support from the parent?? It seems reasonable to me. And shouldn't the parent be charged with neglect or child endangerment?? Just kinda curious.

[LintLass]

02:55 PM on 02/20/2012

Having worked with (and been) homeless LGBT youth, I wouldn't say 'litigation' is the first word that comes to mind. Especially not when much of the rest of the system would try to put them back in various abusive situations.

[fredimessina]

04:59 PM on 02/20/2012

It does sound like that would make sense.

[Ioan Lightoller]

06:49 PM on 02/19/2012

Wow. What a scandal. People "loving" their own children so much they either throw them out or the children feel that they have no choice but to leave home. These "parents" should be ashamed of themselves.

[MichaelRCooke]

01:16 AM on 02/19/2012

In the 1980's the most important thing you could tell a Gay teen was how important it is to not tell your family until you are financially independent of them. That fact destroys families as gay sons and daughters never come out to family and live far from and drop contact altogether, with family.

And it doesn't matter who you are, as an American your child should NEVER come out to you as a child, not if they can help it. Because you the parent, the first time you will ever have to take anti gay rhetoric personally is when a son or daughter tells you they are Gay, and it's not fair and that son or daughter is cruel to put you through that.

I wish I was wrong. Because a gay kid can really only know a parents love is unconditional if s/he comes out to them. And a parent that finds out a child is gay only after they have left the nest, they have to live with knowing that kid never had trust in a parents love as a child. It's cruel.

[50ph1]

03:44 AM on 02/19/2012

I've read your comment a couple of times to try to understand what you mean, but I really don't follow? Are you saying that children should or should not come out? Or are you saying that it is basically bad either way. I've thought about how coming out to parents can give them a lot of grief, but isn't it a lot of pain for the child too if he/she has to stay in the closet?

[MichaelRCooke]

02:23 AM on 02/20/2012

Distinguishing the right thing to do is never easy. It is both right and wrong to come out to family. Generally far more right than wrong, but if a parents has power over you, they can make you homeless.

So the message is that a Gay person should only come out after being independent of the parent for a while.

[Gay Iberian]

02:26 PM on 02/19/2012

Your comment needs more clarification, as it reads kind of confusing.

[MichaelRCooke]

02:20 AM on 02/20/2012

Not hard, just me feeling that in a fair world children should be loved by their family unconditionally and that it was safe to tell kids to come out to their family.

We don't live in a fair world. Children that trust a parent to love them after telling them they are gay can and will be murdered or made homeless if they cannot be driven to kill themselves first.

[MichaelRCooke]

02:38 AM on 02/20/2012

Because you are looking for a victim and a criminal. When it comes to families dealing with a child's homosexuality - the entire family is being attacked by cultural intolerance. The parent that freaks out and throws their kind out on the street, they wouldn't be that way if YOU and all other Americans didn't tolerate anti gay positions as an acceptable point of view.

Really, no one should be born gay, it's inhumane what America does to its gay sons and daughters. And it's not bad Parents. This is what happens when you (me too, all pundits) respect anti gay rhetoric as normal and acceptable, a defensible point of view, or a defensible point of religious doctrine. Of course some parent is going to accept that point of view - and reject their gay child. But all Americans make the culture what it is, it is OUR fault!

[Mike From PA]

12:12 AM on 02/19/2012

I cannot believe that someone would not love their children enough to take care of them. The community that we live in needs to step up and help these kids. There is no excuse for us to let them live on the streets and let their futures erode. Love mades us, love makes us strong, love is what we must offer.

[Freddie27]

11:29 PM on 02/18/2012

One of the most worthwhile charities I give to is the Ali Forney Center, which helps homeless LGBT youth in New York City: http://www.aliforneycenter.org/

[racmd]

06:03 PM on 02/18/2012

Where does a young adult go for help? Sure they see all the "It gets better" postings. People that is B.S.!! It only gets better because we grow complacent. We learn to let the guilt roll off our backs. We no longer confront the demons of church and family openly. We find new families, we find new places of worship or worse we cuddle with a blanket and a good book and shake our heads in disbelief... Shelters are not designed for people under 18 years of age. Believe me...the adolescents of America...straight or gay...are the fastest growing group of homeless people.
If the gays of America were looking for a reason...a cause...this is it...not one more child can die.

[DevonTexas]

06:41 PM on 02/18/2012

a good reason for me to play the lottery so that if I win, I could fund a group to help them kids. As a parent, I can't imagine throwing my kids out on the street for any reason much less something over which they have no control. It's just unfathomable! I can only hope there are state laws that protect kids from being case out by their families or have foster homes for them when they are.

[LintLass]

03:47 PM on 02/21/2012

Actually, you can do more than 'hope,' ...you could see that something is actually done. Cause far from enough is.

[Gay Iberian]

02:29 PM on 02/19/2012

There are gay resources, like gay community centers, in many major cities. And if there aren't any, then kids need to go to government agencies or youth centers that can help them. They don't need to be out in the streets.

[Ioan Lightoller]

06:52 PM on 02/19/2012

Really? The homohatred in shelters can be horrible. And what will be done with the child? Warehoused in some foster system? And yeah, they can go to GLBT centers with haters going insane that GLBT people "recruit"? You hae no idea of what you are talking about.

[alleigh12]

07:01 PM on 02/20/2012

Not everyone lives in a major city. Smaller areas don't have any of those things.

[JohnInDallas]

05:14 PM on 02/18/2012

A tragedy that we must do all we can to stop.

[TheNextVoiceofYouth]

05:07 PM on 02/18/2012

Not too surprised, considering kids are becoming pubescent at younger ages as well. Some people are so freaked out by the economy and the government that they'll take it out on anything that doesn't go as planned. Poor kids... if there's anybody sheltering these kids and you have a computer available, please share this with them and try to get them some of these books and songs to have: http://artsandyouthlove.wordpress.com/?s=8+Things+to+Save+a+Life

[dustyoh]

04:25 PM on 02/18/2012

I always believed that God gives us children to teach us to love unconditionally. This is not just a problem of the Gay community. This is America, the home of the free and the brave. This needs to be addressed. It is heartbreaking. Where is the Church, who Christ commanded to feed the hungry and cloth the poor. I believe he said something about "whatever you do unto the least of these, you do unto me", where children are concerned.

[DevonTexas]

06:46 PM on 02/18/2012

but that's the church that you don't hear about because they don't have a political agenda. There are churches like that.... just not enough of them.

BTW... the command for people to take care of widows and orphans goes all the way back to the OT and the first books of the Bible. It's a ancient point G-d made with his followers. Now if you they would listen to Him rather than the "preachers" and self-proclaimed modern day prophets.

[albert 18499]

09:34 PM on 02/20/2012

It seems the conservative church only gives lip service like "love the sinner...", but in reality they live on top of the 6 or 7 bash scriptures and want gays to change before they are fully accepted into a congregation.

[TRhett]

02:18 PM on 02/18/2012

I was so afraid this was going to happen. From my comment on the thread about the film "The Courage of Private Romeo":

". . .your [the director] comment 'Their apparent ease with their and others' sexuality can lead one to assume that it wasn't hard-won . . . ' is what scares me. There seem to be so many public figures coming out now, and although I'm sure their hearts are in the right place, I hope it's not lulling anyone into a false sense of ease. The real world is NOT Will & Grace-land­. It's a much more - I don't want to use the term "dangerous­", so I'll just say "delicate" - situation."

Seems the situation does warrant the term "dangerous".

[DevonTexas]

06:51 PM on 02/18/2012

I read that comment when you first wrote it and wanted to respond then but didn't (as I recall). Although you see it as a "delicate situation" and warn of a "false sense of ease", the fact remains that people don't want to live a life where they are not true to themselves. Coming out is partial fulfillment of that ideal. Kids today are coming earlier and that's a fact. It's not up to them to be careful whom they may offend by that truthfulness. It's up to us... society... to be accepting of them and intolerant of parents who toss them out like so much garbage. You can't warn someone of the price to be paid for courage and honesty. Those should be rewarded.

[TRhett]

07:37 PM on 02/18/2012

I agree . . . and I wish it were that way. But I'm afraid you're looking at it from an HP perspective, which is (relatively) enlightened compared to the outside world. This is a complex situation, and I was trying to keep it short, so perhaps it wasn't articulated as well as it could have been. But my point was not about offending anyone. My point was that I'm not sure whether or not it's a good idea to lull impressionable young people into thinking that coming out will be for them as it is for self-sufficient adults and celebrities. It's not. They can't insulate themselves from the hate; nor can they easily just pick up and carry on. Losing everyone and everything you know and ending up on the street at 14 is a horrible, horrible buden to bear - and one that might have profound negative implications, present and future, that outweight any "fulfillment" gained therefrom. Again, I'm with you - but I'm a realist, and unfortunately, the attitudes of the vast majority of parents out there are not going to change appreciably in the foreseeable future - as evidenced by this.

[racmd]

12:24 PM on 02/18/2012

The youth of America deserves better than this!! They have the RIGHT to know somebody cares. The "it gets better" movement is not sufficient. These kids have no place to turn to support and understanding. You, as an adult, offer to help a teenager you are recruiting them to the gay lifestyle or worse.
The gay community must take a stand. We have to find a leader, a leader who offers hope and a future, to the youth and to the current gays-lesbians of America. It is time to stop worrying about what people will think of us. It is time to stop feeling guilty.
The current problem with gay-lesbian America is we do not have a defined platform. We weave our way through social issues carefully. We have enough numbers and money to make a major social and economic impact on the government.
It is time.

[michelegillen]

04:17 PM on 02/18/2012

Having spoken to many of these kids...your words are spot on. Would like to speak with you about it if you would like. Thank you! Michele Gillen, Chief Investigative Reporter, CBS4 Miami.
[e-mail]

[Mike From PA]

12:09 AM on 02/19/2012

Totally agree. I intend to find some way to help those of us who are in this situation. If anyone knows of organizations that deal with these kids please let me know.

[lambdin1]

11:22 AM on 02/18/2012

Another push towards suicide!! We as the gay community need to find a solution to both of these problems. While most believe, wrongly, that this happens over a long period of time; it does not! It can happen in an instant. There is a solution. We must find it for both issues!

[racmd]

12:20 PM on 02/18/2012

We, as gay adults, must do something about this mess. We must not allow another person do die at their own hand for things beyond their control.
We must find a way to get the message to youth without challenging the powers to be who see any adult gay person working with children as trying to recruit them.
We have to disarm the churches and ultimately the right wing.

[lambdin1]

12:56 PM on 02/18/2012

Yes, I agree whole heartedly!! But where and how? We are not that vocal and have difficulty in reaching out to youth. Time is not on their side!

[DevonTexas]

06:55 PM on 02/18/2012

and don't leave us straights out of that responsibility either!

and, it can't be done without "without challengin­g the powers that be". That's exactly what we need to do.