In our discussions in class, we learned that a dichotomisation of the private and public sector constructs our perception of the home; Dr. Whitson writes that this separation between public and private affects not only homes' spatial organisation, but also influences our ideals of the home and our expectations of who lives in the home (p. 53). Indeed, the "ideal" home has foundations in cis-heteronormativity. Dr. Whitson further elaborates in her article that for queer youth, the consequences of this normative ideal of home results in a lack of freedom to "perform their identities" or in "estrangement, fear, and homelessness" (p. 55).
The statistics of homelessness for queer youth echoes this statement, with 40% of youth "served by homeless shelters" in the United States identifying as LGBTQ, and seven out of ten of these youths being homeless as a result of conflict after coming out in their prior living situation (Whitson, p.55).
As we read in May et al.'s article, "Alternative Cartographies of Homelessness", street life for the homeless often precludes violence, be it physical or sexual assault, and substance abuse. This is the same for queer youths; homeless LGBTQ youth are at a higher risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases and infections, and shelter-less youth living on the streets are at a higher risk of substance abuse (Abramovich, p. 34). Furthermore, in addition to violence simply from living on the streets, LGBTQ youth must also face homophobia and transphobia in their daily lives on top of being homeless.
For transgender individuals, the violence incurred from living on the streets is often more devastating compared to their cisgender, even queer cisgender, counterparts. Other intersections of identity also attribute to more battles fought whilst homeless, such as being Black or Brown. Black trans women are at the forefront of violence in America, being killed at high disproportionate rates (Forestiere). The Humans Right Campaign argues that this is due to the coalescing of "racism, transphobia, sexism, biphobia and homophobia."
Now I know this isn't an article (although I've found plenty of those if you'd like to read), but I know of an amazing Black, trans-led non-profit that collects donations to provide rent money, funds for gender-affirming surgeries, smaller co-pays for doctors visits, and travel assistance for other Black trans people. For awhile, they were also doing consultations to find housing for homeless Black trans people. After all we've read, I felt like it was a good time to bring it up. If you have some extra funds that you could donate to help house or affirm a Black trans individual, this is a great organisation to give to. Here's the link: https://www.forthegworls.party/home
Another great organisation that accepts donations is the Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC) in Columbus, Ohio. They are a local non-profit focused on empowering and affirming queer youth, they also offer housing consultations and are in the process of building a cohousing opportunity. Here's the link: https://www.kycohio.org/who-we-are.html
And here's an article published about them in 2019: https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/kaleidoscope-youth-center-pursuing-housing-for-lgbtq-homeless-youth/
Thanks for reading!
References:
Lou,
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this! I know that you spoke a bit on specific challenges that trans folks face regarding homelessness, but I’m going to use this opportunity to zoom in a bit further on the topic.
TW: Suicide
As Lou stated in their post, trans individuals’ risk of violence while being homeless is disproportionately high compared to both their straight and queer cisgender counterparts. Gender non-conforming or transgender folks are often viewed as an “other” even within the LGBTQIA+ social sphere, reflecting how they are viewed by our cisgenderist and heteronormative society. Homeless trans individuals don’t only face a heightened risk of violence, though. They struggle to find and fund gender affirming care. Additionally, the trans homeless population face discrimination within the limited resources available to them. Trans folks are less likely to seek assistance at homeless shelters due to violence and/ or discrimination (Davidson).
When we consider that 1 in 5 trans individuals are homeless on top of this, the issue becomes even more dire (Davidson). This gross disproportionality is due to several factors: housing discrimination, workplace discrimination, family rejection/ conflict, violence, and victimization. It’s more than clear how these social and economic inequalities manifest themselves – trans individuals additionally are vulnerable to a heightened risk of suicidal ideation (Davidson). This discrimination manifests in even more obvious and insidious ways when transgender individuals are Black, Brown, or of other intersecting identities.
Drawing on our class discussions and material, I wonder how this phenomenon has shaped trans perceptions of home at large? Perceptions of home are already varied and it’s obvious that this idea doesn’t have one set definition. The idea of a gaining a “found family”, like many LGBTQIA+ individuals do, might even further complicate trans perceptions of what “home” means to them.
Source:
National Health Care for the Homeless Council. (August 2014). Gender Minority & Homelessness: Transgender Population. In Focus: A Quarterly Research Review of the National HCH Council, 3:1. [Author: Claudia Davidson, Research Associate] Nashville, TN: Available at: www.nhchc.org.
With my comment to Lou’s post, I would like to address some of the topics that Lou talked about but also the questions that Ally raised in their comment to the original post.
ReplyDeleteBringing up the topic of LGBTQ homelessness is something that is very important and relevant to what we are discussing in class. I think discussing this in a broader context of what this means for the perception of home, like what Ally brought up in their comment, is also very important. Since many LGBTQ people find themselves homeless at a young age – a time when they are still figuring out their perception of the world – the general meaning of home is one that is warped and is, consequently, a hard thing to navigate for the LGBTQ community. As we have discussed in class, the home is supposed to be a safe place for expression and general living that a person can have access to. People in the LGBTQ community are repeatedly subjected to an absence of this feeling of belonging and safety that people should have with a home.
Ally mentioned the term “found family” in the community, which is something that a lot of queer people are familiar with due to the reasons listed in their post and also Lou’s original post. The concept of a found family is nice for members that have not been able to find safety in their original home, however there is still a warped sense of home and an absence that exists in the person experiencing it. As someone with a not-so-good family life, I know the joy of having a found family and finding a sense of home in other people and the places we build together. However, there is still that impact of the original lack of a safe and free home environment. This impacts me in how I maneuver through home environments and also how I build home for myself with others so I think that this would also occur with others in the community who deal with the same sense of home. Thinking about implications of this kind of common upbringing and how that translates to home building is definitely something to think about.
I think Lou's post addressed concepts we have been discussing in this course very well and want to further expand on the concept of home and homelessness seen in lgbtq youth. If we can understand how homeless lgbtq+ conceptualize the homes and homelessness, we could be more inormed about the discrepancies in support for homeless lgbtq kids and how how we can better aid them. Like stated in our articles, the idea of the home is created based off of your social and cultural experiences. These characteristics are reflected in your idea of home.
ReplyDeleteAs Lou said, statistically more than half of lgbtq kids are homeless due conflicts arising from their coming out. As traumatic as it is, we unfortunately know parents will kick their children out if their sexuality does not align with their values. Academic institutions, however, have the opportunity to provide a healthy environment that can replicate a home. Creating safe and inclusionary spaces for young lgbtq members at schools could aid in the prevention of dangerous situations occurring, providing security and a support system. Like Lou included, perpetration of violence is much more likely as a young, homeless, lgbtq member and then to also have to persevere the effects of homophobia or racism on top of that. Reforming how schools provide a support system and create safe spaces for lgbtq members can supplement the fight against lgbtq youth homelessness.