Blog Post 1: Introduction
Being homeless affects every society, and how those societies try to combat the issue. Individuals tend to associate being homeless with a wide range of reasons behind it. Typically it is due to economic status, but the reality is that there is many other issues why one might be homeless besides the factor of financial means. Queer people are more likely to be homeless at a much younger age due to discrimination and safety against their sexual orientation. Due to this nature, communities and their citizens alike, should be well aware of how they should tackle this issue. According to Solomon et al, in their study “Bullying of Lesbian and Gay Youth: A Qualitative Investigation,” constant denial, dilution, and fear of reprisal are the most triggering effects on queer individuals.” In their own communities young queer individuals are constantly wronged if not by their own families, but by their shelters as well. Checks and balances should be put in place to at least guarantee our young the opportunity to be themselves with out any repercussions. It is important that we take LGBTQ+ children’s issues seriously. Ignoring them not only hides the bigger issue at hand, but can cause long lasting effects on them. This is important for LGBTQIA studies because it highlights how the issues are created and how they lead to the wrong path for LGBTQ+ youth. by doing so you let communities act now to prevent because this epidemic before it is too late for some. This is evident by the lack of transparency of the homeless epidemic among LGBTQ+ children.
Mishna, F., et al. “Bullying of Lesbian and Gay Youth: A Qualitative Investigation.” British
Journal of Social Work, vol. 39, no. 8, May 2008, pp. 1598–1614., doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcm148.
