Uncovering the Challenges of LGBTQ Youth and Families

"The mission of Latino Equality Alliance (LEA) is to advocate for equity, safety, and wellness for the Latinx LGBTQ+ community." LEA places a strong focus on family acceptance, LGBT equality, and immigration reform. LEA's advocacy addresses the social injustices that the LGBTQ community go through, such as bullying, homophobia, xenophobia, family separation, violence against youth, homelessness, high health risk behaviors, and HIV/AIDS.

In collaboration with the Latino Equality Alliance, this project analyzes the socioeconomic factors that impact the LGBTQ community within the south eastern regions of Los Angeles. The objective of this project is to create a needs assessment within the East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights area to show the disparities within the community and to analyze potential areas for LEA's program outreach. LEA primarily offers workshops and programs at schools that promotes mentoring, leadership development, and family involvement. By promoting LEA's advocacy, resources can be provided to assist LGBTQ youth in achieving empowerment and equal opportunities. Overall, LEA's programs are looking to increase family/school acceptance, influence policy changes, and decrease homophobia/transphobia in the long-term.

The assessment of equity for those who reside in the East and South LA regions is important when identifying POC communities that lack accessible resources and opportunities. According to  The William's Institute  at UCLA, 23% of the LGBT population have an income that makes less than $24k a year. Within the Unites States, the LGBT population in California is ranked at #5 across the nation. The following equity maps will highlight the social climate within the regions of analysis to support LEA's mission in providing for their community.

The assessment of wellness comprises of factors contributing to the well-being of people living within a community, including mental health. The LGBTQ community are often not accepted among their peers and can be subjected to discrimination. According to The Trevor Project's  National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health , 71% of LGBTQ youth reported feeling sad or hopeless for at least two weeks in the past year. The following wellness maps will highlight the mental and physiological wellness within the regions of analysis.

School climates directly have an impact on LGBTQ youth and their environment. According to the  Human Rights Campaign , only 26% of LGBTQ youth say they always feel safe in their school classrooms. The assessment of school climates is important because school administrations should ensure that their schools can provide a safe space for students to learn. By providing a safe space for LGBTQ youth, they are able to avoid deteriorating mental health and self-destructive behaviors.

According to the  California Department of Justice , racial bias are the most common type of hate crime, with 54.8% of all hate crime events over the last decade. The second most common hate crime is with sexual orientation bias, which accounts for 23.5%. This data presents statistics on motivations of each hate crime and sheds light on the need for protection for those who are targeted on a bias.