transgender youth

A staggering number of LGBT youth face homelessness in an era of limited spending and fewer resources to combat the problem, National Public Radio reported in a Sunday Weekend Edition segment. Depending on the study, somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of homeless youths identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. It's largely because gay youths are more often kicked out of their homes than straight youths. And even if they are not kicked out, they may feel so uncomfortable that they leave.

Pretty Little Liars stars Shay Mitchell and Troian Bellisario and Extra host Maria Menounos went purple for Spirit Day in a stand against bullying and to show support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth.

Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin is partnering with GLAAD and wearing purple this Wednesday in support of LGBT youth and putting an end to bullying in schools. Millions of Americans have committed on Facebook to wearing purple on October 20 - Spirit Day to remember lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth lost to bullying.

A transgender woman, 23-year-old Lashai Mclean (pictured), was shot to death in northeast Washington, D.C., early Wednesday morning. Police say the investigation is still under way but, according to The Washington Times, the shooting occurred about 10 blocks from a group home for homeless gay and transgender youth where Mclean had sought housing assistance.

Ohio is instituting a pilot project to deter tobacco use in the Cleavland area’s the state’s lebian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths. According to state health officials, the CDC smoking and tabacco use is 60 percent more prevalent in LGBT youth populations than that of the general contingency.

While appearing on Larry King Live, Janet Jackson advocated for the Trevor Project, saying she can sympathize with teens bullied for being different. Jackson urged anyone who is dealing with bullying or suicidal thoughts to reach out to the Trevor Project, a 24-hour hotline for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth that can be reached at (866) 4U-TREVOR.

As part of National Runaway Prevention Month, the Give a Damn Campaign, a project of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund, released their latest video focused on raising awareness for homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth. In the video, Susan Sarandon, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, Pete Wentz, Eden Riegel and Cyndi Lauper speak up about the need to bring an end to this epidemic. 

Neil Patrick Harris, Carol Leifer, Vanessa Carlton, Glee's Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Kevin McHale were among attendees of the Trevor Project’s 12^th annual Cracked Xmas to benefit the organization's crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.

Want to support a great cause and bump shoulders with Queer as Folk's Thea Gill? Then the Trevor Project's Summer Women's Event is the place for you to be. The Trevor Project, the leading national organization focusing on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, is hosting its second annual Summer Women's Event.

Our culture’s egregious forms of commercialism always bother me -- and its anemic recognition of other celebratory forms of this holiday season other than Christmas, like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, and the celebration of the winter solstice. Too often we see the glitz and glamour that this holiday brings and we have totally missed its spiritual message. And because many of the spiritual aspects of this season are lost, so too, by too many of us, is the gift of giving to the neediest in our communities. In my community, some of the neediest are our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) homeless youth and young adults. And unfortunately, our LGBTQ homeless youth and young adults face the annual angst of searching for home for the holidays.