LGBTQ Youth Resources
Getting Down to Basics Tool Kit
Published 12/06/06
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A growing body of resources is available to assist the child welfare community to provide competent, supportive care to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (“LGBTQ”) young people. The following resources offer support to LGBTQ youth and to the caregivers and professionals in their lives.
cwla/lambda legal joint initiative — fostering transitions
In 2002, the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and Lambda Legal launched a historic partnership to change the way LGBTQ youth and adults are treated in the nation’s child welfare systems. As leading national advocacy and education organizations, CWLA and Lambda Legal offer assistance on a variety of educational, legal and policy matters to better serve LGBTQ people in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
child welfare league of america (cwla)
CWLA is an association of nearly 1000 public and private nonprofit agencies that assist over 3.5 million abused and neglected children and their families each year with a wide range of services.
2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 250
(National Headquarters)
Arlington, VA 22202
Phone: 202-638-2952
lambda legal
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
120 Wall Street, Suite 1500
(National Headquarters)
New York, NY 10005
Phone: 866-LGBTeen (toll free), or 212-809-8585
Email: legalhelpdesk@lambdalegal.org
National Organizations
These national organizations offer resources for LGBTQ young people and the adults who care for them.
Ambiente Joven is a project of Advocates for Youth and is dedicated to the gay, lesbian and transgender Latino/a youth community in the U.S. and Latin America, with the goal of providing information about sexual and mental health, as well as general cultural information.
casey family programs, life skills assessment, lgbtq supplement
Casey Family Programs’ Life Skills Assessment is a free and easy-to-use tool to help young people prepare for adulthood. The Assessment includes an optional supplement developed specifically for LGBTQ youth. It provides instant feedback. Customized learning plans provide a clear outline of next steps, and the accompanying teaching resources are available for free or at a minimal cost.
children of lesbians & gays everywhere (colage)
COLAGE is the only national and international organization in the world specifically supporting young people with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parents.
1550 Bryant Street, Suite 830
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone: 415-861-5437
Email: colage@colage.org
The Family Pride Coalition has for 25 years been the only national nonprofit organization solely dedicated to equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents and their families. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., FPC supports nearly 200 membership-based LGBT parenting groups nationwide with a base of 35,000 supporters.
PO Box 65327
Washington, DC 20035-5327
Phone: 202-331-5015
Fax: 202-331-0080
The GLBT National Help Center is dedicated to meeting the needs of this community and those questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity. The hotline offers free and confidential peer-counseling, information and local resources for cities and towns throughout the United States. The
hotline offers counsel to callers of all ages about coming out issues, relationship concerns, HIV/AIDS anxiety, safer-sex information and more.
2261 Market Street, PMB #296
San Francisco, CA 94114
Phone: 888-843-4564
Email: info@glbtnationalhelpcenter.org
the gay, lesbian & straight education network
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, is working to ensure safe and effective schools for all students.
90 Broad Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-727-0135
Email: glsen@glsen.org
national association of lgbt community centers
The National Association of LGBT Community Centers’ website features the capability to search for LGBT community centers in your city or state. Centers are the primary point of contact for people coming out and seeking LGBT health services, community information and referrals.
1325 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: 202-824-0450
Fax: 202-393-2241
national center for lesbian rights
NCLR is a national legal resource center with a primary commitment to advancing the rights and safety of lesbians and their families through a program of litigation, public policy advocacy, free legal advice and counseling and public education.
870 Market Street, Suite 370
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: 415-392-6257
Email: info@nclrights.org
the national youth advocacy coalition
The National Youth Advocacy Coalition is a social justice organization that advocates for and with young people who are LGBT in an effort to end discrimination against these youth and to ensure their physical and emotional well-being. NYAC’s interactive website includes a large database of community resources in every state.
1638 R Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC, 20009
Phone: 800-541-6922
Email: nyac@nyacyouth.org
OutProud, the National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth, serves the needs of these young men and women by providing advocacy, information, resources and support. Its goal is to help queer youth become happy, successful, confident and vital LGBT adults.
369 Third Street, Suite B-362
San Rafael, CA 94901-3581
Email: info@outproud.org
parents, families & friends of lesbians and gays (pflag)
PFLAG promotes the health and well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights.
1726 M Street NW, Suite 400 (National Office)
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: 202-467-8180
Email: info@pflag.org
The Safe Schools Coalition is a public-private partnership in support of LGBT youth to help schools — at home and all over the world — become safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach and where every child can learn, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
10501 Meridian Avenue N.
Seattle, WA 98133
Phone: 866-430-6631
Email: questions@safeschoolscoalition.org
the world professional association for transgender health
WPATH is a professional organization devoted to the understanding and treatment of gender identity disorders with 500 members from around the world, in fields such as medicine, psychology, law, social work and counseling.
1300 South Second Street, Suite 180
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Phone: 612-624-9397
Email: hbigda@hbigda.org
The Trevor Project is a nonprofit endeavor established to promote acceptance of LGBT teens and to aid in suicide prevention among them.
8950 West Olympic Boulevard, Suite 197
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: 310-271-8845
Email: support@thetrevorproject.org
Youth Guardian Services is a youth-run organization that provides support services on the Internet to LGBTQ and supportive youth.
101 East State Street, #299
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: 877-270-5152
YouthResource, a website created by and for LGBTQ young people 13 to 24 years old, takes a holistic approach to sexual health by offering support, community, resources and peer-to-peer education about issues of concern to LGBTQ young people.
2000 M Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-419-3420
selected bibliography
Out of the Margins: A Report on Regional Listening Forums Highlighting the Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth in Care, Child Welfare League of America & Lambda Legal (2006)
Call 1-866-LGBTeen to order copies free of charge or download at www.lambdalegal.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/publications.html=1978 or www.cwla.org
CWLA Best Practice Guidelines: Serving LGBT Youth in Out-of-Home Care, Shannan Wilber, Caitlyn Ryan and Jody Marksamer, CWLA Press (2006)
Child Welfare Journal Special Issue: LGBTQ Youth in Child Welfare, edited by Rob Woronoff & Gerald P. Mallon, Vol. 85, No. 2, March/April 2006
Breaking the Silence: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Foster Youth Tell Their Stories, A Tool for Training Care Providers on Working Effectively with LGBTQ Youth, DVD, National Center for Lesbian Rights (2006)
Youth in the Margins: A Report on the Unmet Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Adolescents in Foster Care, Including a Survey of Fourteen States and Proposals for Reform, Lambda Legal (2001)
Download free of charge at www.lambdalegal.org
Lesbian and Gay Youth Issues: A Practical Guide for Youth Workers, Gerald Mallon, CWLA Press (2001)
Serving Gay and Lesbian Youths: The Role of Child Welfare Agencies, CWLA (1991)
Serving Transgender Youth: The Role of Child Welfare Agencies, Proceedings of a Colloquium, CWLA, September 2000
In the System and in the Life: A Guide for Teens & Staff to the Gay Experience in Foster Care, edited by Al Desetta, A Youth Communication Book (2003)
www.youthcomm.org/Publications/Books.htm
Foundations of Social Work Practice with Gay and Lesbian Persons, Gerald Mallon, Haworth Press (1998)
We Don’t Exactly Get the Welcome Wagon: The Experiences of Gay and Lesbian Adolescents in Child Welfare Systems, Gerald Mallon, Columbia University Press (1998)
Let’s Get This Straight: A Gay and Lesbian Affirming Approach to Child Welfare, Gerald Mallon, Columbia University Press (1999)
Social Services with Transgendered Youth, Gerald Mallon, Harrington Park Press (2000)
Hatred in the Hallways: Violence and Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Students in U.S. Schools, Human Rights Watch (2001)
www.store.yahoo.com/hrwpubs/hatinhal.html
Lesbian and Gay Youth: Care & Counseling, A Comprehensive Guide to Heath and Mental Health Care, Caitlin Ryan and Donna Futterman, Columbia University Press (1998)
The many other components of Getting Down to Basics offer additional support.
To order free copies of the Getting Down to Basics tool kit, contact Lambda Legal at 1-866-LGBTeen (toll free) or 212-809-8585, or download it for free at www.lambdalegal.org or www.cwla.org.
