A few weeks ago, a remarkable 19-year-old Kennesaw youth had the foresight to press “record” as his family began a “Pray the Gay Away” intervention. He had come out of the closet as being gay nearly a year earlier. One of his good friends posted the video to YouTube.
That first night, I shared it from Lost-n-Found Youth’s Facebook page. A week later, the video had been seen by more than 6 million viewers. It was clear the spotlight had finally started to shine on one of the most important issues of a generation: There are too many well-intentioned, faithful parents who see no other option than to disown their children and put them on the street because their offspring tell them they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Atlanta is quickly becoming ground zero for the LGBTQ youth homelessness problem in America. It’s simply unacceptable. Census data estimates there are about 2,000 homeless youth in metro Atlanta on any given night. A recent Williams Institute national survey of homeless agencies that serve youth found 30 percent of their clients identified as gay or lesbian; 9 percent, as bisexual, and 1 percent, as transgender. Just a little math will tell you it translates to at least 750 queer kids on the streets of our city each night.
Nearly three years ago, I and others in the LGBTQ community set out to address our LGBTQ homeless young people by launching Lost-n-Found Youth. Today, we’re Atlanta’s only agency to hit the streets, finding the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community — those who have been marginalized by the people closest in their lives. We strive to stabilize their lives and connect them with resources to help them go on to be productive members of society.
Of the youth clients we serve, 53 percent tell us they were kicked out of their homes because they came out of the closet. Sadly, religious beliefs of parents are often the source of the problem. I question the morality of any parent who thinks their child is better off living in squalor or, worse, dying on the streets because of the way they were born.
We as a LGBTQ community are not without fault. As we think nothing of writing a check to fund equality, we’re blind to the tragedy in our backyards. Each time the gay community achieves a significant milestone for equality, our homeless youth outreach numbers surge. It’s a manifestation of secondary responses of parents who are unwilling or unable to cope with a gay or lesbian child.
Now that the issue is just starting to be seen for what it is — a crisis in America — people pay attention. With help from the community and corporate support, Lost-n-Found Youth continues to grow and serve youths who need us most. In three short years, we’ve served more than 400 youth; some have already transitioned out of our program and enrolled in Ivy League universities. There is no doubt they will do great things in the future.
We’re in the middle of a $1 million capital campaign that will triple the capacity of our transitional housing program and serve even more youth. Situated in the heart of Midtown, we will be even closer to places where we find most of our clients.
To fulfill our mission, we need support from volunteers and donors. Community support goes to improving outreach services, our youth center and the renovation of our transitional housing project. More information is on our website, www.lost-n-found.org. Our goals are within reach, but only when the community comes together to help.
