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LGBTQ+ youth

Young people everywhere deserve to be who they are without fear of bullying or discrimination.

 

But whether they’re in school hallways or in out-of-home care settings, LGBTQ+ young people are uniquely vulnerable—and often neglected and unprotected by the institutions responsible for their care. 

Through our Youth in Out-Of-Home Care Project and broader advocacy efforts, Lambda Legal works to ensure that all LGBTQ+ young people are safe and free from discrimination.

Cases on youth issues.

Fast Facts

32 million

How many LGBTQ+ young people are estimated to live in the U.S.—and more than half are young people of color

28%

The percentage of LGBTQ+ youth who’ve reported experiencing homelessness or housing instability

60%

The percentage of LGBTQ+ youth who wanted mental health care but weren’t able to access it

Safe Havens II: We Must Affirm and Support Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Diverse Youth in Out-of-Home Systems

Safe Havens II is a call to action from trans, nonbinary and gender diverse (“TNGD”) youth with experience in child welfare, juvenile legal, and youth homelessness systems who share their experiences and system improvement recommendations via video with co-author Elliott Hinkle, principal and co-founder of Unicorn Solutions, who also has lived experience with out-of-home systems. Safe Havens II also updates current research about TNGD and LGBQ+ youth; summarizes recent supportive and harmful federal and state law and policy developments; describes efforts to prevent system-involvement; shines a light on the needs of system-involved nonbinary youth; and captures existing measures to hold systems accountable to law and policy requirements.

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Your rights

Explore our collection of resources to learn more about LGBTQ+ youth issues. Have a specific question that’s not answered below? Visit our virtual Help Desk.