For LGBT Youth

More LGBT people are coming out than ever before and at younger and younger ages.

Want to Form an LGBT Club?

If you go to public school or secular private school, you have a right to establish a Gay-Straight Alliance club. If the school gives you trouble, call your local chapter of the ACLU and they will win your case. (See below for Legal Resources.) If you go to a conservative religious school, your rights may be much more limited.

The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Network can tell you all you need to know about starting a group in your school: http://www.gsanetwork.org/.

The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) can also help you with setting one up. In addition, GLSEN has lots of resources for educators who want to do something about LGBT issues in their schools. Go to: http://glsen.org.

Student Questions:

The College Guide and Financial Aid Resources for LGBTQ Students: http://www.learnhowtobecome.org/college/financial-aid-for-lgbtq//.

Being Bullied in School?

That’s against the law. If your school won’t do something about it, consider calling an LGBT or civil rights legal group for help (see Legal Groups for resources).

Feeling Suicidal?

Call The Trevor Project’s Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386 or check out their website for more information: www.thetrevorproject.org.

Homeless?

Being without a home is a tough and complex problem, especially for young people. Many cities have shelters and programs for homeless youth, but not nearly enough to meet the needs out there. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has an online page of Resources for Homeless Youth at https://www.onecpd.info/homelessness-assistance/resources-for-homeless-youth/.

For More Information

Check out the website of Advocates for Youth, a national adolescent sexuality group with a special emphasis on LGBT youth issues. Go to: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/topics-issues/glbtq?task=view.

More and more cities have social services agencies, including New York’s Hetrick-Martin Institute where Andy and Ann worked together as sexuality and AIDS educators in the 1980s and ’90s: http://www.hmi.org/.

Back to LGBT Resources.