Roughly 1 in 4 lesbian or gay teens and 15 percent of bisexual teens are homeless, versus 3 percent of exclusively heterosexual teens, finds a Children’s Hospital Boston study of more than 6,300 Massachusetts public high school students. Moreover, among teens who were homeless, those who were gay, lesbian or bisexual (GLB) were consistently more likely than heterosexuals to be on their own, unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.
1 in 4 gay/lesbian high school students are homeless
That is 25% of Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Youth in the state of Massachusetts are without a home. As Brian Resnick points in The Atlantic, this does not mean that these teens are living in the streets (in fact, many could be staying with friends or relatives), but that they lack a stable home and a permanent address. I would speculate there is a chance most of these teens were actually kicked out by parents due to their sexuality and, as a result, are homeless.
In case you ever wonder about the practical consequences of homophobia in people’s lives, wonder no more. Here is one such staggering example.
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