We are Proud of Our Diverse Youth

June 16, 2021

By Margie Dotson, Road to Success Specialist

St. Lucie West -

A growing body of research is showing that LGBTQ youth nationally are over-represented in foster care, possibly due to increased isolation and discrimination.

A study conducted in 2019 by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 30.4 percent of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ, compared to 11.2 percent of all youth identifying as LGBTQ in a nationally representative sample reported in the same study.

Education and advocacy is paramount because these youth and young adults experience a greater degree of victimization and rejection than their non-LGBTQ counterparts (Baams L, Wilson BDM, Russell) and, as a result, are more likely to attempt suicide, according to a 2021 research brief by the Trevor Project.

Here at Communities Connected for Kids, we take great PRIDE in celebrating the lives, voices and culture of our LGBTQ youth, and we are committed to providing a comprehensive network of services to ensure that they are supported and respected.

One young adult, in particular, comes to mind.

Our teams at CCKids advocated for her to live in an LGBTQ group home with specialized supports and, when she left the home to return to the Treasure Coast, we advocated for her to be allowed to continue expressing her gender identity.

Our placement team found a new group home for the youth and, through education and advocacy, worked hard for a better understanding of her needs to ensure the placement wouldn't break down.

For her graduation from high school, our Road to Success team arranged for professional makeup and hair installation at a salon. And, working together with the courts, we made sure she received specialized therapy before receiving gender-reassignment surgery as an adult.

This young person, who we are so proud of, has now graduated with her Aesthetician Certification and is a certified makeup artist and model in New York.