WindyCityMediaGroup – by Charlsie Dewey
Homeless LGBT youth face increased difficulties compared to their heterosexual counterparts both on the streets and within the shelter system, according to a study the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force report, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth: An Epidemic of Homelessness,” which was released in January 2007.
According to the report, LGBT homeless youth are more vulnerable to mental health issues, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior and victimization. The report states, “A study of homeless youth in Canada found that those who identify as LGBT were three times as likely to participate in survival sex than their heterosexual peers,” and The National Runaway Switchboard reported, “LGBT homeless youth are seven times more likely than their heterosexual peers to be victims of crime.”