Experiences
"Its like watching the world from inside the glass. You aren't included."
-Quinn: 18, Genderfluid, Gay
Quinn ran away from her extremely abusive and religious parents, leaving her homeless as a teen. She was bullied at school and beat at home; her depression and suicidal thoughts overcame her. But by taking action, she now has her own stable life with a job and an adorable kitty!
"Approximately 40% of homeless youth are identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual." according to www.pflagphoenix.org
Autumn- 17, Female (Trans MTF), Bisexual
She was so sweet! Autumn went to a very conservative Christian school where she was called "faggot" and other slurs. She said it was hard to cope until she found the underground LGBT group and reached out for mental help. I nearly cried when Autumn told my friend and I that her car window had been smashed, 2 days after she came out at school.
According to www.ed.gov "nearly 8 out of 10 LGBT youth were harassed at school".
"There are people out there that will love you."
Robin- 18, Nonconforming, Gay
Robin (in the middle) was the first that had an easier school experience as an LGBT. She said she was home schooled for most of high school and the small classroom she attended were accepting/relaxed.
"She's my family more than my normal family."
Jessie (left) and Julianna (right)-21 and 22
They were very close friends and very nice. Jessie is bi-romantic, asexual, and bigender while Julianna is demisexual and nonbinary. Jessie said their parents, especially their mom, aren't accepting, she would say "you're going to hell". Jessie was closeted during high school and very quiet in college. Julianna had felt nonbinary since elementary school, she's always acted very "tomboyish".
Elaine, 25, Female, Pansexual
She was the oldest youth I talked to but she was lively and her experience a common one for some LGBT members. In school, she was never very open about her sexuality because she'd just started dating a few (2-3) girls. Her parents weren't angry but embarrassed of her girlfriend, but her mom came to accept it. She felt the hardest thing for her is finding girls to date because of the stigma caused by heteronormativity. The worst discrimination she's experienced was some dirty looks from old couples when walking hand in hand with her girlfriend.
Ashton (left) and Vero (right)- 19 and 18
Although we briefly talked, they were a very sweet couple with awesome costumes. Ashton, a genderfluid pansexual, said at school, they never felt comfortable. Vero, a female bi/lesbian had the same high school experience. Both of their parents were only a bit supportive, Vero's father being a Trump supporting conservative.
"50% of all gay and lesbian youth report that their parents reject them due to their sexual orientation." according to www.pflagphoenix.org
Both of them agreed that the reactions to their genders and sexuality has caused depression and anxiety for them. They told me a hate crime they witnessed in San Francisco outside a gay club where a gay man was harassed. It reminded me of the Stonewall Riots: a crowd of gay men fought against the straight men in San Francisco.
"Everyone found out and I felt pretty helpless in that situation"
Quinn Matthew, 16, Male (Trans FTM), Gay
He's never been directly bullied at school because of his gender/sexuality but a few side comments have been hurtful, especially for those with dysphoria. He's found that generally people are supportive and accepting. Yet, his relationship with his parents has been "affected pretty heavily". They didn't understand anything about being trans so chose to forget about it, but Quinn fells that he's had a positive and lucky experience being LGBT.
There were a few people that I wasn't able to take pictures of like
Riley- 15, Male (Trans FTM), Bisexual
He was the youngest LGBT I talked to during the convention and was very soft spoken. He said that at school he his often called "trap" or "tranny" which really contributes to his depression and it's very hard for him to find a therapist. He said his parents weren't very accepting and it's been hard for him as an adolescences.
Jody- 16, Female, Bisexual
Many bisexuals feel excluded by the rest of the LGBT community because of their option to be straight, but Jody wouldn't deny it since "it's apart of me". Her parents aren't anti-LGBT but more traditional, which can be hard to deal with when you don't want to disappoint your parents. She feels that it's much more easier to be herself at school because everyone is very accepting, "save for a few people."