YOUTH
LGBTQ Youth a Big Part of NYC Foster Care System
ACS pledges to move ahead with action plan to address adversity facing queer youth
BY MATT TRACY
More than one-third of
children in the New
York City foster care
system identify as
LGBTQ and those individuals face
greater hardship across their daily
lives than non-LGBTQ youth, according
to a new survey unveiled
by the city’s Administration for
Children’s Services (ACS).
The survey, which featured responses
from 659 participants between
13 and 21 years of age in the
foster care system between September
and November of last year,
found that 34 percent of youth in
ACS are LGBTQ compared to what
ACS stated were just 24 percent of
New York City’s overall youth population
identifying as queer and
14.6 percent of youth nationwide.
When broken down by gender
identity, 13 percent of youth in
the foster care system identify as
transgender. By sexuality, 13.5
percent identify as bisexual or
pansexual, 5.6 percent are lesbian
or gay, 4.8 percent are questioning,
and 2.7 percent employ “other labels”
in self-identifying.
Although similar numbers already
have been established in
other foster care-related studies,
the researcher who led the survey
said in a written statement that the
high proportion of LGBTQ youth in
foster care “surprised me.”
“Why LGBTQAI+ youth are
overrepresented is unfortunately
something that this study cannot
tell us,” said the lead researcher,
Dr. Theo Sandfort, a professor of
clinical sociomedical sciences in
Thirty-four percent of youth in ACS identify as LGBTQ and those children tend to face more adversity
than non-LGBTQ peers.
the Department of Psychiatry at
Columbia University’s Vagelos College
of Physicians and Surgeons.
When comparing the proportions
of LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ
populations, the numbers were
similarly distributed across racial
and ethnic lines with some variation.
For example, a majority of LGBTQ
individuals in the foster care
system, at 58 percent, are Black,
and the percentage of non-LGBTQ
Black youth is roughly the same.
And individuals of other races
yielded similar results.
Nineteen percent of LGBTQ foster
kids are of more than one race,
14 percent are white, 5.2 percent
are American Indian or Alaskan
Native, 2.2 percent are Asian, and
1.5 percent are Native Hawaiian or
Pacifi c Islander.
: FACEBOOK/ ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES
Latinx individuals, classifi ed
separately from the racial breakdown
categories in this study,
make up 43.9 percent of the population
of LGBTQ youth and represent
39.4 percent of non-LGBTQ
kids in the foster care system.
Among other fi ndings in the
survey, LGBTQ youth in general
encounter more adversity in
their daily lives than non-LGBTQ
youth.
Notably, 20 percent of LGBTQ
youth have been criticized for
“dressing too feminine” or “too
masculine,” while 24 percent report
negative encounters with police
— nearly seven percent more
than the general population.
Furthermore, LGBTQ youth are
more likely to be sent to a group
home or residential care instead of
being placed in family-based care,
and queer youth are not as likely to
be satisfi ed with their placement.
In yet another sign that families
continue to reject LGBTQ youth,
queer foster kids’ family members
are less likely to be supportive
and a smaller percentage of queer
youth say there are non-family
adults who support them.
The survey also found that
queer youth are more likely to have
experienced homelessness, which
is among multiple risk factors associated
with greater incidence of
depression, according to thre research.
Strikingly, 51.8 percent of
LGBTQ youth said they recently
have had little interest or pleasure
in doing things compared to 31.5
percent of non-LGBTQ youth.
“The relatively lower well-being
among LGBTQAI+ youth found in
this study is something that we
see in LGBTQAI+ youth in general,”
Sandfort said. “However, this
lower well-being also seems to result
from more negative experiences
that LGBTAQI+ youth have in
foster care. It is important to further
understand what the specifi c
needs of LGBTQAI+ youth in foster
care are and how they can best be
addressed.”
The comprehensive fi ndings
prompted the city to outline a plan
of action to address the disparities
in the years ahead. ACS fi rst
pointed to existing policies in place
intended to support LGBTQ youth
in foster care, including the establishment
of an Offi ce of LGBTQ
Policy and Practice in 2012 and
➤ FOSTER CARE YOUTH, continued on p.29
➤ TRANS REMEMBRANCE, from p.21
blazers including the late Lorena
Borjas of Queens as well as Sylvia
Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson.
The event will also include a virtual
journey through time examining
the milestones of the transgender
and gender non-conforming community
since Stonewall.
The organization’s event description
has no irtual link, but you can
learn more information are encouraged
to call 646-882-2000.
There are also in-person options
on Transgender Day of Remembrance.
TransNewYork, a non-profit
organization working to bring
awareness to issues facing transgender,
gender non-conforming,
and non-binary communities, will
lead an event at 6:30 p.m. at the
Christopher Street Pier.
Nancy Francoise Menusan,
who TransNewYork describes as a
trans ambassador and mechanic
at the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority, will be mistress of ceremony,
while TransNewYork’s new
deputy executive director and chief
of staff, Kelvin O. Howell, Jr., will
be the keynote speaker.
“Our organization and staff
are fully aware that we are in the
middle of a pandemic and have put
the necessary safety and wellness
protocols in place for the community
at large,” Howell said. “We will
have unlimited Personal Protection
Equipment (PPE) and social
distance ambassadors.”
Several others are expected to
be on hand, including Jennifer
Louise Lopez, a trans advocate
and professional speaker; Jada Renee
Downs, a trans advocate and
member of the House of La’Beija;
and more.
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