LGBT Homeless Youth & Survival Sex

E L L E N S G R U D O W S K I

SURVIVAL SEX &LGBT HOMELESS YOUTH

THE NUMBERS…

(Adler, 2011)

(Love Goes Beyond Today, 2014)

(Wright, 2014)

(Love Goes Beyond Today, 2014)

• Survival Sex is defined as the exchange of sex for basic needs, such as housing, food, or clothing.• “Exchange” implies “choice” rather than “force or coericion,”

however many LGBTQ youth must engage in survival sex to literally survive.• The TVPA states that minors do not have to meet criteria of

coercion or force.

• “The number of homeless youth who report trading sex for shelter corresponds to the number of youth involved in the sex trade who report having experienced homelessness.”

• LGBTQ have been reported to engage in survival sex as an alternative to the risk of abuse and/or violence experienced in the foster care system and/or homeless youth shelters.

(thinkprogress.org) (thinkprogress.org)

(Dank et. al., 2015)

• Homeless LGBT youth experience increased vulnerability generated by disparities in employment opportunities, absence of even marginal family support, and increased engagement in survival sex.

“LGBT youth are more than three times as likely to have engaged in survival sex.”

newwaysministryblog.wordpress.com

(Cray, Miller & Durso, 2013)

WHAT CAN SOCIAL WORKERS DO?

(www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/)

(pinterest.com)

• Make LGBT training mandatory for all staff and volunteers working at the shelter

• We can set aside our own personal bias, and make all homeless youth shelters LGBT friendly.

• Demand that the government not only fund LGBT youth shelters, but also put into place anti-discrimination laws for federally funded homeless shelters.• Ensure that

shelters are held accountable for their actions (or inaction, for that matter)

(blogs.ocweekly.com)

(cafepress.com)

REFERENCES

• Adler, Margot. (2011, November 20). Young, gay and homeless: fighting for resources. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/2011/11/20/142364493/young-gay-and-homeless-fighting-for-resources

• Cray, A., Miller, K., & Durso, L.E.. (September, 2013). Seeking shelter: the experiences and unmet needs of LGBT homeless youth. Retrieved from: https://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/LGBTHomelessYouth.pdf

• Dank, M., Yahner, J., Madden, K., Banuelos, I., Yu, L., Ritchie, A., Mora, M.,& Conner, B. (2015, February 25).Surviving the streets of New York: experiences of LGBTQ youth, YMSM and YWSW engaged in survival sex. Retrieved from: http://www.urban.org/research/publication/surviving-streets-new-york-experiences-lgbtq-youth-ymsm-and-ywsw-engaged-survival-sex/view/full_report

• Love Goes Beyond Today. (2014, March 20). Homeless LGBT Youth. Retrieved from: https://sites.psu.edu/imanscib/2014/03/20/homeless-lgbt-youth/

• Wright, John. (2014, November 10). New LGBT youth homeless shelter in San Antonio among few of its kind in US. Retrieved from: http://www.lonestarq.com/new-lgbt-youth-homeless-shelter-in-san-antonio-among-few-of-its-kind-in-us/