By Vanessa Falcon, Pamela Rentz and Mary Stapp MYTH: Being gay is a “choice” Americans are evenly split on whether sexual orientation is a choice, or is determined by nature, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey, with roughly 40 percent of respondents on either side. But, the percentage of people who believe that...
Tag: LGBTQ
Pride offers LGBTQ youth opportunities for community
By Adrian Gibbons and Mary Stapp For teenagers, many of whom are not out, Pride month can mean everything. Whether it is a parade where they can watch from the sidelines or the solidarity expressed in rainbow flags posted around their towns, some LGBTQ teens get quiet comfort in knowing the celebration simply exists. A...
Pride centers this father-daughter relationship
By Vanessa Falcon and Mary Stapp Eden Ungar, now 19 and a student at University of Kentucky, vividly recalls the day she came out to her father, Stuart. She was a freshman in high school and the two were driving to the gym. She told him she’d be going to the upcoming Louisville Pride parade...
New shows moving away from old stereotypes of gay life
By Dillon Lives Ever since the lifestyles of LGBTQIA+ people have become more visible through social media, we have become better represented in movies and shows designed for viewers of all types and ages. This gives young people who are figuring out their sexuality a chance to be seen and heard. But it is still...
Queer youth found creative approaches to self-care during pandemic
By Adrian Gibbons Isolation, whether because of the pandemic, physical or mental health issues, or a combination of those, has affected everyone this year. For LGBTQ youth, already marginalized by society and often lacking support in their own families, it has been especially difficult. A Trevor Project survey conducted at the end of 2020 found...
First rejected, then outed in church, bisexual teen questions Christianity
Editor’s Note: The author of this story needs to remain anonymous for reasons you will read about. She is a rising 11th-grader and lives in Maryland. This article is part of our 2021 Youth Pride issue in partnership with the Urban Health Media Project. I was only in sixth grade when I knew I was...
One non-binary person’s perspective on how to transition thoughtfully and safely
Miami and Baltimore– Urban Health Media Project reporter Vanessa Falcon, a high school student in Miami, interviewed Arin Jayes, 30, of Baltimore, about his gender identity journey and experience transitioning to a non-binary trans man. Jayes, a behavioral health therapist, is also an urban farmer and embroidery artist. Q: How was your transitioning process? Was...
HEALTH LGBTQ+ teens, 20-somethings share pandemic mental health struggles, post-pandemic plans
By Vanessa Falcon and Jayne O’Donnell Specialized to the Washington Blad WASHINGTON, D.C. – People around the world have struggled for more than a year while stuck at home for school and work. But this physical and social isolation has taken a particularly tough toll on LGBTQ+ youth, data and interviews show. That’s because the...
Even before COVID, LGBTQ+ youth faced a high risk of homelessness. The pandemic only made things worse.
By Sarah Gandluri and Sydney Johnson Special to the Washington Blade WASHINGTON -- Squashed between friends on a plush couch at a shelter for homeless LGBTQ+ young people, Jada Doll talked about what happened after she began to express her identity as a transgender woman. She moved in with her boyfriend when she was a...
He came out to his family, and wound up on the street
By Malaya Mason and Anthony Green Special to the Washington Blade WASHINGTON -- As a young gay black man living in the city’s Southeast district, Arthur Halmon-Daniels felt the only people he could tell about his sexuality were his immediate family. In Southeast, he said, gay people are frequently verbally abused and disrespected. He hoped...