August 22, 2014 | Volume XII, Issue 8 Maryland LGBT Youth at Risk Says Report by Steve Charing – with Friends, with Family, on the Street
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ANO INDEPENDENTU VOICE FOR THE TLESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNITIES August 22, 2014 | Volume XII, Issue 8 Maryland LGBT Youth at Risk Says Report BY STEVE CHARING – with friends, with family, on the street. tice Systems. When Eric was nine years old, he lived He came home on Fridays to get the $25 Formed in May Nowhere to go? credit: Brion McCarthy with relatives due to his mother’s mental or $50 his mom would give him for the next 2013, YEA is a Photography illness. He began to develop what people week. To maintain the charade, Eric would statewide coalition considered effeminate mannerisms. Neigh- be present when the caseworker came for of various service borhood men would try to “macho him out” a monthly visit. providers, non- by beating him up. Eric never told anyone about profit organiza- Eric entered foster Statewide coalition this arrangement because he tions, government care at age 12, when his was afraid that he would be agencies, and in- relatives would no longer proposes punished even more. He par- dividual advocates keep him in their home. ticularly feared being placed in that seeks to iden- He was placed with a changes to help a group home with other people tify policy and foster parent who had who might harass or abuse him. regulatory solu- two children of her own and another foster Eric’s situation is among several de- tions to problems child. The foster mother made it clear that scribed in a report released on August 12 faced by LGBTQ he was not welcome there. He was bullied by the Youth Equality Alliance (YEA) titled youth in Mary- by the foster mother’s children, and the Living in the Margins: A Report on the land. At this point other foster youth. Instead of living in the Challenges of LGBTQ Youth in Maryland members include foster home, he stayed wherever he could Education, Foster Care, and Juvenile Jus- —continued on p. 2 roots on Blue Smoke The River & The Thread are no exception, (Masterworks/Dolly). The especially “The Long Way Home,” “World of disc boasts a pair of du- Strange Design,” “Night School” and “Money ets – “You Can’t Make Road.” Dixie Divas Old Friends” with fellow From the beginning of her career, Cash’s BYG GREG SHAPIRO plastic surgeon devotee Kenny Rogers and stepsister Carlene Carter also experimented The voice of Sugarland, Jennifer Nettles steps “From Here To The Moon and Back” with Willie with an alternative country vibe, working with out on her own on her first solo disc That Nelson (who appears to have wisely avoided Graham Parker and The Rumour and (ex- Girl (Mercury). Produced by Rick Rubin, who the plastic surgeon’s knife) – that are equally husband) Nick Lowe. That period wound down retains Nettles’ trademark modern country pleasant. Parton, who has always shown good during the mid-1990s and Carter experienced sound, That Girl feels a little underwhelming taste in cover material, does so here with ren- a period of profound hardship. Six years after when all is said and done. Collaborating with ditions of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice” and making an unexpected, but welcome, come- interesting songwriting partners, including Bon Jovi’s gospel rouser “Lay Your Hands On back, Carter continues to impress with Carter Sara Bareilles and Richard Marx (!), Nettles Me.” Parton originals “Home,” “If I Had Wings,” Girl (Rounder), a loving homage to her Cart- plays it safe throughout, even on the one cover and “Try” are also deserving of mention. er Family kin, including mother June Carter tune, Bob Seger’s “Like A Rock.” If you’re lis- For years, Rosanne Cash has been the Cash. With the exception of Carlene’s own tening to That Girl it probably has something to urban queen of contemporary country, in- “Me and the Wildwood Rose” (which originally do with Nettles’ powerful voice and you won’t fusing her songs with a wit and wisdom that appeared on her 1990 I Fell In Love album), be disappointed when she belts out on tunes comes from being a New Yorker. You can hear the songs are all Carter Family compositions such as the title track, “Falling,” “Know You it firsthand in the song “Modern Blue,” from her on which Carlene leaves her mark. Guest art- Wanna Know” and “Good Time To Cry.” latest album The River & The Thread (Blue ists Willie Nelson (“Troublesome Waters”) and Still the gold (or is that platinum blonde?) Note). Cash could be singing about the Missis- Kris Kristofferson (“Blackjack David”) also join standard when it comes to country super- sippi River as easily as the Hudson River. Her Carter for duets on this celebratory effort. Jennifer Nettles stardom, Dolly Parton, approaching her 50th worldly approach has always given her songs Keeping with the sisterly theme, Put Your credit: Marina Chavez (!) year as a recording artist, returns to her a distinctive sophistication and the songs on —continued on page 15 —continued on page 10 NEWS // LOCAL MARYLAnd LGBT YOUTH AT RISK SAYS REPORT ble to harassment by law enforcement; ex- less youth being at risk. Nyasha Dixon, ac- – continued from page 1 ploitation while engaged in survival crimes, tivities coordinator for Youth Empowerment such as drug dealing and prostitution; and Society, said the police discriminated against such groups as ACLU of Maryland, the increase their chances to contract HIV/ her. “Police don’t have training on how to com- Public Justice Center, Equality Maryland, AIDS or experience other health problems. municate.” PFLAG, Planned Parenthood of Maryland, Some of these youth may land in foster Jenny Egan, an attorney, agreed. “LGBT Homeless Persons Representation Proj- care, but they could be subject to hostil- youth are disproportionately represented in ect, GLSEN, Star Track, and the Baltimore ity in the system because of institutional survivor crimes. Police are not trained to deal Child Abuse Center. bias and lack of training in the system as with LGBT children.” She stated that “specific “Although the Maryland LGBTQ com- well as the prejudice against LGBTQ youth policies and protections are not in place in de- by foster care parents. Eric’s experience tention facilities and group homes. These kids “LGBTQ youth are at above is illustrative. are most vulnerable to sexual abuse.” a heightened risk of As a result, many of the youth leave or The report presents an array of recom- are removed from these temporary place- mendations in all three areas that would entail entering the ‘school-to- ments. Approximately one in four LGBTQ mainly policy, regulatory and legislative chang- youth are kicked out or run away from their es, as well as mandatory training for direct jail’ pipeline.” living situations. service professionals and administrators and “This statistic is disproportionate and the conduct of needs assessments. YEA urges munity has recently secured several new shocking,” commented Ingrid Lofgren, a that the Office of the Governor, state govern- rights, including marriage equality and the Skadden Fellow, Homeless Persons Rep- ment agency directors, legislators, and po- Fairness for All Marylanders Act, there is resentation Project, litical candidates read much work to be done to protect the rights at the unveiling cer- this report and decide of LGBTQ youth,” said Aaron Merki, exec- emony of the YEA re- what initiatives they will utive director of FreeState Legal Project, port Living in the Mar- champion to improve one of the founding members of YEA, in gins held at the Enoch the outcomes of these announcing the report’s release. Pratt Free Library. youth. This has been an ongoing issue that Jabari Lyles, who “When youth enter is in need of attention and solutions. LG- is with the Baltimore spaces in which they BTQ youth are at a heightened risk of en- Area chapter of the Gay are to be supervised tering the “school-to-jail pipeline.” Public Lesbian and Straight as well as protected by institutions and systems – primarily the Education Network adults, they expect that education, foster care, and juvenile justice (GLSEN) and a mem- professionals will be systems – are among the toughest envi- ber of YEA, added, knowledgeable about ronments for LGBTQ youth. YEA’s report “People have to won- individual youth rights briefly outlines the current barriers fac- der what is going wrong and needs, as well as ing LGBTQ youth as they navigate these when they hear that sensitive, respectful, three systems, and proposes specific rec- as many as one-third and effective in their ommendations for addressing these chal- of LGBTQ youth never interactions with all lenges. finish high school and youth,” Diana Philip, Statistics from GLSEN put the prob- up to 40% of our home- Policy Director for lems in perspective. For instance, 64% less youth self-identify FreeState Legal Proj- of LGBTQ students feel unsafe in their as LGBTQ.” ect, told Baltimore OUTloud. “LGBTQ youth in schools because of their sexual orienta- The high rates of homelessness lead to an Maryland are no different.” tion, and 44% because of their gender ex- increased involvement with the juvenile justice Philip urges Maryland LGBTQ communi- pression. system, which is often challenging for LGBT ties to take notice of their youth. “The coalition The bullying problem that often af- youth in terms of their health and safety espe- is looking for individuals and groups to join fects LGBTQ students begins a spiral that cially from those adults who punish them or try YEA and participate in workgroups formed to places these youth at risk. Often school to change their sexual orientation. And once implement the recommendations outlined in personnel fail to address the needs of the released, they face other barriers including fin- the report.