Lesson 14 Discussion – HUS1640

Review all of the content in the lesson. Think about the fact that Pinellas County has a large population of LGBTQ youth and in particular, homeless LGBTQ youth.

What can the SPC Human Services program do to help assist in the efforts that are being started to help support these youth?

Research other programs throughout the country (and the world) that you find to be a “best practice” approach to helping LGBTQ youth. Share how you think we could implement such a program in our community. Include a link or flyer to share regarding the program you researched.

Respond to at least one of your classmates.

Student’s post that needs a response:

LBGTQ+ Youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness; why? It is estimated that 7% of youth in the U.S. are LGBTQ+, while 40% of youth experiencing homelessness are LGBTQ+. These are incredibly high stakes for our children and there is not enough explanation as to why these numbers have not gone down. Strict or religious parents may disown their children, kick them out of their house, or abuse them for not being their ideal or “societal” image of “normal”. Right off the bat, these children feel out of place and some are too cognitively underdeveloped to understand why they feel different. For cases like these, it is the job of human service experts to protect our LGBTQ+ children and understand their feelings. For feelings of helplessness, depression, or body dysmorphic disorder, there are resources to help find a safe place or person to talk to for help.

The SPC Human Services program can assist in the efforts that are being started to help support these youth. There are LGBTQ+ centered programs to donate to, volunteer to and help, as well as using our classes and degree to the fullest and working a part time job at a local homeless shelter, helping at halfway houses or foster care centers. Doctors have debated whether Transgender teens need to go through counseling or therapy before taking hormones or considering body-altering surgery. The CDC have shown preliminary studies that suggest adolescents who receive drug treatments to affirm their gender identity have improved mental health and well-being. Considering those data, some clinicians are opposed to any mental health requirements. I strongly believe that teens should undergo mental health screenings before receiving hormones or gender surgeries; as well as waiting until they are of legal age to even receive drugs or undergo surgery.

The stigma and discrimination often experienced by LGBTQ+ youth increases as so their risk to substance use and abuse. Due to this fact, there are programs in place to help and support members, youth, and family of the LGBTQ+ community. Drug Free is a partnership that accepts donations for those who are LGBTQ+, and for Family & Substance Abuse. Their teamwork provides help for substance use disorder or addiction, while it is also important to consider their specific needs as an LGBTQ+ person. Treatments, considerations for medication as treatment, and actions to help prevent substance abuse can be found there!

https://truecolorsunited.org/2018/07/12/pinellas-c…

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lgbt-parent…

https://www.genderspectrum.org/articles/understand…