Kicked Out – Homeless LGBT Teens Tell Their Stories

I have a 16 year old son. I couldn’t even begin to imagine him coming to me and telling me something personal about himself that would be so horrific to me that I would put him out on the street rather than have him under my roof. Even were he to get involved in drugs or crime, my first instincts as a mother would be to protect, to reach out the hand of help and to seek other resources. My son’s father is equally involved in his life. I’m absolutely positive that he would react similarly.

Sadly, not all parents feel as we do. There are a lot of homeless kids on the streets and in short term foster care situations for a variety of reasons but there are many, many of those that were kicked out of their homes by dysfunctional parents, or because of something they did and continued to do (crime, drugs) or, simply, because of who they are. They all concern me, but it’s the ones who were kicked out because of “who” they are that concern me the most at this moment.

It’s been estimated by various, reliable sources that 40-45% of homeless teenagers in large metro areas are LGBT and that, in many cases, they are out on the street because they were kicked out by a parent or parents for being gay or lesbian or for identifying as transgender. They may have been kicked out for acts involving their sexual orientation or, in some cases, just because they’ve admitted their orientation.

The funding and resources to handle homeless teens are limited and stretched to the max in many areas. This lack, combined with a shortage of counseling professionals who understand the sexual orientation and gender identity issues of LGBT teenagers, and a shortage of proper housing for them has led to a crisis for these youth.

Extensive research has been conducted and volumes upon volumes have been written about homeless kids, about available resources for them and about a myriad of other related things. Most of this work fails to address the unique situations of lesbian, gay and transgender teens nor does it cover much in the way of services to help them. There are works in progress to extend more services in many areas that may, if funding is granted, alleviate some of the greatest need, but no one is addressing what happened to these LGBT kids and why.

As important as addressing the need is hearing the stories of the kids, in their own words. In January of 2010, Homofactus Press, LLC published Kicked Out, a book edited by Sassafras Lowrey and Jennifer Clare Burke. Their book is a collection of of the stories of LGBT street teens (present and former) in their own words. Sassafras fashions herself as a “militant collector of stories”. These are startling, shocking, moving and uplifting, sometimes all in one.

Sassafras kicks it all off with why she wanted to collect the stories and how important it is to hear them. She’s followed by an engrossing, powerful forward by Judy Shepard, mother of slain gay teenager Matthew Shepard.  Then come the stories…many, many stories.

The kids in this book are survivors. Many have gone on to lead very productive lives as students or as working adults. Some – are still on the street. All of their stories needed to be told. The book concludes with a where are they now sort of list of all of the “authors”. It’s no surprise that many of the ones who made it off the street are now working and fighting to help the “families” they left on the streets and other teens who are in situations similar to what they previously faced.

I laughed, I cried and…I wanted to kill some parents when I read this book. I couldn’t put it down and I can’t forget it.

Sassafras Lowrey now operates a website, KickedOutAnthology.com, where you can read more of these amazing stories of survival and hope a midst chaos and despair.