NY: More LGBTQ+ Youth Are in Foster Care and They Need Support

New York State Bar Association – June 20, 2024

More than one-third of the children in the New York City foster care system are LGBTQ+, according to the city’s Administration for Children’s Services. At an informational session presented by the New York State Bar Association, panelists discussed the challenges facing these children and how lawyers, court personnel, and foster care agencies could best meet their needs. Up to 40% of the homeless youth population in New York City identify as LGBTQ+. In addition, homeless LGBTQ+ young people experience higher rates of sexual assault, domestic violence, trauma, HIV+ infection, and mental health issues compared to their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. “We do not believe young people are inherently more mentally ill because of their LGBTQ+ identity,” said DeChants. “What we believe, and what our data show, is actually the increased rates of suicide risk and mental health symptoms that we see among LGBTQ+ young people, are the result of all sorts of different factors going on in their environment, including a lot of stress due to their minority identity and minority status.” DeChants added that other factors contribute to this stress as well, including housing instability, racial prejudice, and poverty. “Homophobia and transphobia by a parent is child abuse,” said Roque. “Our systems fail our kids once they are rejected by their families because of their identity. We’re not looking for kids to be moved from their homes, we’re looking to help families to do better by their kids.”

https://nysba.org/more-lgbtq-youth-are-in-foster-care-and-they-need-support/