2011 brings new hope for SoCal LGBT youth

A new year ushers in renewed hope for southern California's LGBT youth.

Only days after his inauguration, Gov. Jerry Brown has already made LGBT issues a priority for his administration. But this renewed emphasis comes with state budget cuts, with much of the impact directly affecting social services.

Despite those cuts and a slowly recovering economy, Los Angeles County's LGBT centers and other organizations have made youth services a priority in the wake of last fall's highly publicized teenager suicides.

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's biennial National School Climate Survey paints a bleak picture for LGBT students. The survey of more than 7,000 students found nearly 90 percent of them experienced some form of harassment and 61 percent said they felt unsafe at school due to their sexual orientation.

A lack of resources to combat bullying and safety concerns at school and home often leads LGBT youth to seek outside help to feel safe. The most common places youth find support is through the local community centers. The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and The Center Long Beach both have new or revived programs to offer a variety of assistance to youth in 2011.

The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration on Children, Youth and Families in October awarded the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center a landmark $13.3 million, five-year grant to create a model program that will provide support to LGBT and questioning youth in the foster care system. This is the largest federal grant ever awarded to an LGBT organization. And the National Center for Lesbian Rights reported in a 2001 study that 70 percent of LGBT foster children reported physical violence-and 100 percent said they experienced harassment in their group home.

The Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services, the only group home for LGBTQ foster youth in Los Angeles, closed in 2008.

"LGBTQ youth who aren't living on the streets because of a hostile home environment are often in the foster care system," said Lorri L. Jean, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. "They're more likely to turn to drugs and crime, engage in unprotected sex, or commit suicide-and when they age out of the system at 18, they're coming to us homeless. "

This grant will fund the development of a much-needed, model program to protect the health and well being of LGBT and questioning foster youth.

"It's very exciting to have these resources and to combine the expertise and efforts of so many people for services that are so very needed," said Michael Ferrara, director of lifeworks, a youth development and mentoring program through the Center that offers peer and group mentoring opportunities for youth between 12-24.

The grant comes at a valuable time as the Center and Lifeworks has seen a surge in those seeking assistance in recent months. "Between bullying, the economy, and a trend of people coming out younger, we've had an increase in kids seeking help," said Ferrera.

Improvements and expansions are expected through out all facets of the Center's Children, Youth and Family Services department. This includes the Jeff Griffith Youth Center, a resource for those 24 and under that provides free hot meals, fresh clothes, showers, educational and job assistance and housing help.

Youth services at The Center Long Beach are experiencing a renaissance of sorts after the program was dormant for the last quarter of the year during a search for a new youth outreach director. Steve Tanaka took the reigns in late November and has been rebuilding the program ever since.

"I returned from academia to activism after finishing my PhD because I was starving for an LGBT community," said Tanaka said. "I found these teens starving for the same thing."

Tanaka returned to Southern California after completing his degree at the University of Hawai'i and took on the Youth Outreach Director position on a volunteer basis. He and assistant director Kit Fisher are building the program from a grassroots level and stress community over substance.

Mentoring Youth Through Empowerment is the youth group at the forefront of the Center, providing tools to its members to combat bullying and homophobia outside the Center's doors.

"Through group sessions, dances, film screenings and fundraisers we aim to create a safe space for anyone coming through these doors," said Tanaka of MYTE.

The Center's drop-in hours are 3-7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Social activities, support groups, counseling and free rapid HIV testing are available. Log onto www.laglc.org or www.centerlb.org to learn more about the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and The Center Long Beach.