Homelessness Among Queer and Trans* Youth Elisabeth Sheff Director of Legal Services, Sheff Consulting Group Raphael Coleman Assistant Director of Residence Life, Oglethorpe University

Presentation Outline Define gender, sex, sexuality, queer, trans* Homelessness Prevalence Contributing or causative factors Compounding factors: race, poverty, gender Impacts Resources Prevention Support Presenter information, questions, and LGBTQIA acronym

Gender and Sex Gender identity is what you feel like inside Gender expression is a “performance” the world sees Sex is anatomical and chromosomal, usually assigned at birth Woman = vagina = xx Man = penis = xy Intersex = mix = mix xxx, xxy, xo, xyy

Sexuality Sexual orientation is who you desire Asexuals do not desire sex, even though they might desire cuddling and/or emotional intimacy Sexual identity is the label or category you identify with Heterosexual Lesbian or Gay Bisexual Omni or Pansexual Lots, lots more Sexuality, gender, and sex are all independent from each other, even though we confuse them

Queer and Trans* Queer is a broad category, common among young people, covers a wide range of identities and behaviors that are non- normative and not much more bounded than that Gender queer is someone who rejects a binary division of woman/man and finds zirself in between – independent of sexual orientation Trans* can be a wide range of gender-crossing Transgendered people often feel that their inside gender experience does not match their outside gender assignment Transsexual people have often had hormonal or surgical intervention to change their gender Cross-dressers generally identify with their gender but like to wear the clothes of the other gender

Prevalence of Homelessness among Queer and Trans* Youth The National Coalition for the Homeless finds queer youth at risk Only 10% of youth are queer, but 20% of homeless youth are queer Homeless queer youth are twice as likely as other youth to have experienced sexual abuse by age 12 Queer homeless youth are at greater risk for sexual victimization, sexual violence, and suicide sheets/lgbtq.html

Factors leading to homelessness Coming out to parents and getting kicked out Lack of other social supports Lack of community acceptance Lack of community support or organized safety net

Compounding Factors Affecting Queer Youth Poverty makes everything more difficult and means fewer resources to fall back on for youth and family Racism makes life even harder for queer and trans* youth of color who are at greater risk for violence, police brutality Ageism introduces age limitations of foster care system Gender norms

Impacts of homelessness Physical abuse Educational interruption Drug or alcohol dependence Loss of self esteem Vulnerable to predators Turn to sex work within 72 hours

Resources for Prevention Many of the resources aimed at preventing homelessness among queer and trans* youth focuses on community and individual capacity building.

Resources for Support Comprehensive List

Services Offered 24/7Housing/ Basic Needs Counsel ing STD/H ealth Identifi cation Edu/Job Lost-n- Found Stand up For Kids Chris Kids

Ending Homelessness Among Queer Youth Low Barrier Housing Education that helps lead to employment On-going support services connected to mainstream resources Independent Living Skills Training Connections to supportive and trusting adults and a support network Source:

Presenter Contact Information Elisabeth Sheff, PhD, CASA, CSE Raphael Coleman, MPH, Doctoral Candidate

LGBTIAQ Defined Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans* Intersexed Ally/Asexual Queer/Questioning