According to research, approximately one in five foster youth identify as LGBTQ. Due to their sexual orientation, a large number of LGBTQ youth have suffered abuse or even abandonment from their families. According to reports, LGBTQ youth make up up to 40% of the homeless population in cities like Los Angeles.
LGBTQ-identifying youth therefore require devoted, understanding, and supportive parents who do not pass judgment. Because of the negative stereotypes associated with the LGBTQ community and traditional religious beliefs that do not support LGBTQ people, raising an LGBTQ youth may seem like a difficult task for some parents. If fostering an LGBTQ child makes you uneasy, remember that the goal of fostering is to improve a child’s future by giving them the support they need to develop into independent adults in a loving, safe, and nonjudgmental environment.
More LGBTQ identified and affirming foster homes are desperately needed, as are qualified caregivers who can celebrate LGBTQ youth for being fully authentic and support them as they navigate the obstacles the queer community faces. Not only do we need more LGBTQ families to foster so queer and trans youth can see themselves reflected, but non-LGBTQ families can also learn how to be supportive and give LGBTQ youth a home that is safe and affirming.
Families play an important role
Families who are not LGBTQ are also crucial in helping queer and trans youth. According to data, young people are more likely than adults in their lives to come out to their peers. Thus, a queer or trans youth may be cared for by non-LGBTQIA+ foster families without their knowledge. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth wait between seven and eight years from the time they first suspect they might be queer to the time they came out to someone else. Because of this, it’s even more crucial to create an inclusive home and use language carefully so that all young people feel safe, even if they decide not to reveal their identities to you.
Raising all of your children to be accepting of their queer and trans peers is also crucial, since LGBTQ youth are more likely than their heterosexual and cisgender peers to be bullied, feel depressed or hopeless, and attempt suicide. Raising kids to be accepting of people who are different from them is our collective responsibility, and it begins with us setting an example of such behavior.
How can you show your support?
Make it clear from the outset that your home is a supportive one by hanging inclusive and intersectional art on your walls or putting a pride flag or Black Lives Matter sticker on your refrigerator. “What you’re willing to hang on your walls tells someone entering your home what values and beliefs you hold dear. There is a small thing you can do to make it obvious to a child entering your home, that it is a non-judgemental place. It is crucial to acknowledge that queer and trans youth of color face significant challenges related to racism and microaggressions that affect their well-being, even though LGBTQ youth face similar challenges within our cisheteronormative society. According to one study, 48% of LGBTQ students of color had been the target of verbal abuse due to their race or ethnicity and/or sexual orientation. In order for youth to flourish foster parents have a duty and an opportunity to support LGBTQ youth of color and help transform the systems.
