EXPLORING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD BY YOUTH WHO HAVE AGED OUT OF FOSTER CARE AND IDENTIFY AS LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, OR TRANSGENDER By Maryellen Banghart A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Social Work - Doctor of Philosophy 2013 ABSTRACT EXPLORING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD BY YOUTH WHO HAVE AGED OUT OF FOSTER CARE AND IDENTIFY AS LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, OR TRANSGENDER By Maryellen Banghart Thousands of young people in the United States are terminated from foster care services each year because they have reached the age of ineligibility, commonly referred to as ―aging out.‖ These young women and men face the challenges of adulthood with whatever survival skills they have acquired during childhoods marked by abuse, neglect, loss, and instability. Studies indicate that a significant number of these youth are not prepared to secure and maintain the resources they need to succeed in adulthood such as stable housing, steady employment, and continued education. Among those who age out of foster care are young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). Although research has increased an understanding of the experiences of LGBT youth while in foster care, studies focusing on their experiences while transitioning out of this system and into adulthood have been largely absent in the literature. This qualitative study is an effort to address this gap in the research. Using a modified grounded theory approach, this study explores the experiences of 10 ethnically diverse LGBT youth, between the ages of 18 and 25, as they attempted to obtain housing, employment, and education after aging out of foster care. Also examined were study participants’ perceptions about the preparation they received during foster care and the support they were given after foster care to successfully transition to adulthood Of particular interest to this study were the youths’ perceptions about whether their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression had an impact on their experiences of aging out of foster care and achieving self-sufficiency. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 ethnically diverse youth, between the ages of 18 and 25, who had aged out of foster care, and identified as LGBT or questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity. Results from this study support previous findings that youth who age out of the foster care system have a difficult time transitioning to adulthood, particularly in their efforts to obtain and maintain housing, employment, and education. Furthermore, the majority of the young people in this study reported discrimination and rejection because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression while they were in foster care or transitioning to independence. This discrimination came from peers, birth families, foster families, as well as child welfare staff. More research and education is needed at all levels of the foster care system regarding the needs of LGBT youth who are in or aging out of care. More education is needed for policymakers, foster care workers, foster parents, and biological family members regarding the needs of LGBT youth who are aging out of care. Implications for policy, research, and practice are also discussed. Copyright by MARYELLEN BANGHART 2013 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A dissertation is a journey of expected and unexpected learning. I feel that I gained as much knowledge about myself as I did about my research subject during this odyssey. With any journey, it is very important to have the necessary equipment and support in order to avoid wandering around in circles. I have been blessed to have wonderful people along my journey to help me reach my destination. A special thank you to my chairperson, Dr. Rena Harold, for her intuitive sense of knowing when to provide the compass for direction, the walking stick for support, or the appropriate signs to motivate me to finish this process. My committee members Dr. Gary Anderson, Dr. Anne Hughes, and Dr. Marsha Carolan from Human Development & Family Studies were so encouraging and supportive along the way. They have my deep appreciation for sharing their time, expertise, and wisdom in making this work something of which I can be proud. I would like to give special mention to several of the faculty, staff, and fellow students in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University who made the journey fun and enjoyable, among them Michele Brock, Nola Carew, Monaca Eaton, Dr. Victoria Fitton, Dr. Paul Fredollino, Jessica Gladden, Woo Jong Kim, Karen Newman, Toby Salzman, Dr. Marya Sosulski, and my writing partner Trisha Thrush. I offer a big thank you to the Graduate Office team, especially Nancy Grey and Joan Reid, for their tireless efforts in battling the dreaded paperwork maze. Many thanks to my colleagues at Grand Valley State University, especially Dr. Dianne Green-Smith, for her cheerleading and prayers when I needed them the most, and to Dean George Grant, for inspiring me to study what I am most passionate about, which is LGBT foster v care youth. I am also grateful to the faculty and staff members at the School of Social Work who have kept me going, knowing that many of them had walked the same path before me and survived to tell the tale. A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Holly Van Scoy and Patricia Van Dyke for getting me started on this path. If this journey has taught me anything, it is that I am so grateful for my family and friends – for my parents Al and Mary who have passed on but I know would be proud of me; for my siblings Michael, Patrick, and Kathleen (and Tom and Quinn) and their love and encouragement; for my in-laws Mom Anne, Jenny and Fred, and David and Averie who have been very forgiving about my missing so many family events and holidays because I was writing the seemingly endless paper; and for my friends, especially Barb and Linda who have not forgotten our bond, even though we have seen each other as often as we would like. Finally and most importantly, it is hard to capture in words the immense gratitude I have for my greatest supporter and my companion through every step of this journey, my partner Rebecca, who provided love, comfort, and unflinching belief in me, even when I did not believe in myself at times. For the last few years of listening to my latest ideas at 3 o’clock in the morning, for all the hand-holding, feet-rubbing, and house-tending, thank you for making this so much easier to do. I look forward to many new journeys together. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................1 Background of the Problem .................................................................................................6 Increasing Rates of Young People Aging Out of Foster Care .................................9 Poor Outcomes for Young People Aging Out of Foster Care ..............................10 LGBT Youth in Foster Care ..................................................................................13 How Many Youth in Foster Care Are LGBT?...........................................15 What Do LGBT Foster Youth Experience While in Care? .......................17 The Experiences of LGBT Youth in the General Population ................................18 Homelessness and Associated Risks ..........................................................18 Suicide and Abuse......................................................................................19 Current Trends Regarding LGBT Foster Care Youth............................................20 The Gap in Information about LGBT Foster Care Youth Who Are Aging Out of Care ...........................................................................................22 Addressing the Gap in Information ........................................................................22 Relevance to Social Work ..................................................................................................23 Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................................24 Ecological Systems Theory....................................................................................25 Resilience Theory ..................................................................................................25 Emerging Adulthood ..............................................................................................27 Purpose of the Study ..........................................................................................................27 Research Questions ............................................................................................................27 Chapter Summary ..............................................................................................................30 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................31 What the Literature Reveals ...............................................................................................31 Literature on Youth Aging Out of Foster Care ......................................................33