Protect lgbtq kids
LGBTQ+ Rights
LGBTQ+ young people are over-represented in government service systems, where they are more likely to life discrimination, abuse, and neglect. Children’s Rights is fighting for laws and policies that ensure all Diverse youth have explicit non-discrimination protections and equitable access to affirming services and supports.
View Fact Sheet
THE ISSUE
A disproportionate number of the over 400,000 kids in the foster system detect as lesbian, gay, pansexual, trans, and questioning (LGBTQ+). They are young people of color and from low-income families. Systemic racism, discrimination, and poverty disproportionately drive LGBTQ+ youth out of their homes and communities and into toddler welfare systems.
My heart goes out to all the people who live in homes that aren’t accepting right now. They can’t be themselves freely.”
-Jessie, Georgia, Fostering Inequity Report
Once in the system, LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to experience discrimination, abuse, and neglect. At times, they’re subjected to dangerous efforts to change their orientation or gender identity, including so-called “conversion therapy,” which has been debunked by the medical communi
The Kids Online Shelter Act: Protecting LGBTQ+ Children & Adolescents Online
Fairplay is deeply disturbed to view transphobic and homophobic activists threatening to weaponize the Kids Online Safety Execute against queer, trans, and gender nonconforming youth. KOSA will create the online protections that every infant needs, including LGBTQ+ youth – it is not a cudgel to be used against children pursuing support for and comprehending of their identities.
When the Kids Online Safety Do was introduced last year, LGBTQ+ advocates expressed concerns about how the bill could be used to harm queer youth. As a result of their advocacy, a number of key changes were made to the bill to ensure that KOSA could not be weaponized against young LGBTQ+ people. The newly reintroduced Kids Online Safety Act was revised so that LGBTQ+ content would not be interpreted as harmful to children, and ensures that new people on the internet are not restricted from deliberately and independently searching for specific content.
Fairplay proudly stands up for the safety and wellbeing of every child, including and especially LGBTQ+ youth. We unequivocally oppose the progressing efforts to restrict gender non-conforming yout
Safeguarding LGBTQ+ children and new people
Risks of harm
Evidence suggests that LGBTQ+ children and young people might be at increased risk of some forms of harm.
Child sexual exploitation
LGBTQ+ relationships are underrepresented in educational resources and the media (Barnardo’s and Fox, 2016). This means there are fewer examples of relevant, fit relationships available to Queer young people. If Queer young people are not taught about healthy and unhealthy relationships, it might be easier for an abuser to groom them into believing an abusive relationship is normal.
If Diverse young people are unable to get information about sex and relationships from school or family, they might seek advice and support from people in adult spaces, such as gay clubs. This is particularly true of immature people who live in rural areas or in communities where their gender identity or sexuality is not accepted. Adult spaces don’t have the identical safeguarding and child protection measures in place as spaces specifically for children. Children might be pressured or coerced into doing something they don’t need to do, particularly if they are already isolated and don’t have anywhere els
On Thursday, April 11th, GLAAD and Ogilvy, a global advertising, marketing and widespread relations agency, launched a bold worldwide digital campaign, “Protect This Kid,” in support of LGBTQ youth.
2024 has not been an easy year for LGBTQ people, youth especially. This year alone has included the introduction of over 500 anti-LGBTQ bills, a disproportionate number of which aim trans youth; growing misinformation against the trans person community; the death of 2STGNC+ Oklahoma teen student Nex Benedict; and an election year proven to be highly consequential for LGBTQ Americans. “Protect This Kid,” was created in an effort to combat this misinformation and spread a note of love and acceptance.
“Protect This Kid” comprises short video interviews and childhood photos of out LGBTQ heroes across media and entertainment including: Beanie Feldstein, Chris Mosier, Daniella Carter, Margaret Cho, River Gallo, Ryan “R.K.” Russell, Sherry Cola and Yvie Oddly.
On Thursday, April 11th, out homosexual actress and actor, Beanie Feldstein, launched “Protect This Kid,” revealing her campaign creative on a Times Square digital billboard. In addition to premi
LGBTQ Youth
While few nationally model, large surveys of youth ask about sexual orientation and gender identity, foremost estimates suggest that between 7-9% of youth identify as lesbian, gay, attracted to both genders, transgender, or lgbtq+. Using these estimates, the Williams Institute reports that there are approximately 3.2 million LGBTQ youth between the ages of eight and 18, more than half of whom (52%) are youth of color (compared to 39% of LGBTQ adults who are people of color). LGBTQ youth are at uncertainty for family rejection, homelessness, discrimination and bullying at college, and harmful so-called "conversion therapy" practices. LGBTQ youth are also uniquely resilient and build incredible support structures for themselves.
This page contains resources addressing the challenges and strengths of LGBTQ youth ranging from challenges for transgender youth in schools, LGBTQ youth and their experiences in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and maps representing state laws that impact LGBTQ youth including conversion therapy, safe schools, and child welfare.