Pride Weekend Comes With News To Not Be Proud Of
Colorado Springs Independent
By Achille Ngoma
July 20, 2012
Can you imagine?
Forty percent of young people seeking homeless services at more than 350 agencies across the nation are LGBT, shows a study from UCLA’s Williams Institute.
The main reason: Dads and moms don’t want them any more.
According to the study, 68 percent — almost 7 out of 10 — of the LGBT homeless youth have experienced family rejection. More than 5 in 10 report having been abused.
In the Springs, many LBGT youth have experienced similar problems. Some of them have found a home at the Urban Peak shelter downtown.
The shelter has 20 beds, and 25 percent of its population self-identify as LGBT.
“Maybe there’s more than this number because some youth have been so traumatized that they keep their sexual orientation to themselves,” says Chris Telk, Urban Peak’s executive director.
As we enter Pride weekend, Shawna Rae Kemppainen, executive director of Inside Out Youth Services, calls families to tolerate their children regardless of their beliefs.
“Accepting and loving your child for who they are is what will keep them safe and healthy,” she says in a press release.