In the United States, nearly 400,000 children and youth are in foster care because they have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. We know that LGBTQ youth are over-represented in the foster care system; many having been rejected by their families of origin because of their gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. LGBTQ youth in care often face bias and discrimination from service providers and their peers.
A recent study in Los Angeles found that nearly 20 percent of youth in foster care are LGBTQ-identified – that means the percentage of youth in foster care who are LGBTQ is between 1.5 and 2 times that of youth living outside of foster care.
Service providers and policymakers are working to protect LGBTQ youth in foster care from discrimination and to ensure these young people’s safety and well-being and HRC is a part of this work.
Through its All Children All Families (ACAF) project, HRC works with foster and adoption agencies – both public and private -- across the country to improve services for LGBTQ youth and families. ACAF staff and consultants provide training and guidance to agencies as they implement essential best practices for working with LGBTQ youth and adults. Once all those best practices are in place, agencies are designated “Leaders in Supporting and Serving LGBT Youth and Families."
Even the most LGBTQ-inclusive agencies can struggle to find qualified foster parents who are ready and willing to welcome LGBTQ youth into their homes. Recognizing that LGBTQ adults are one potential group that could provide affirming foster homes for LGBTQ youth, ACAF helps these agencies to engage LGBTQ adults who may be interested in becoming foster parents.
Just yesterday in his Presidential Proclamation for National Foster Care Month, President Obama stressed that when agencies work to find resource families, “it is important to ensure all qualified caregivers have the opportunity to serve as foster or adoptive parents, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.” He also reiterated the fact that “all young people, regardless of what they look like, which religion they follow, who they love, or the gender they identify with, deserve the chance to dream and grow in a loving, permanent home.”
