HRC Report on LGBT Youth

HRC ~ the Human Rights Campaign ~ has taken a survey of over 10,000 LGBT-identified youths ranging in ages from 13-17.  The full 36 page report can be found by going to the HRC website.  A breakdown of some of the key statistics, as presented by LGBTQNation are below.  They are heartbreaking, yet not surprising.

• Over one-half of LGBT youth (54 percent) say they have been verbally harassed and called names involving anti-gay slurs;
• Nearly half of LGBT youth (47 percent) say they do not “fit in” in their community while only 16 percent of non-LGBT youth feel that way;
• 67 percent of straight youth describe themselves as happy but this number drops to 37 percent among LGBT young people;
• 83 percent of LGBT youth believe they will be happy eventually, but only 49 percent believe they can be happy if they stay in the same city or town;
• 6 in 10 LGBT youth say their family is accepting of LGBT people, while a third say their family is not;
• 92 percent say they hear negative messages about being LGBT – 60 percent say those messages come from elected leaders.