Sitting on top of a U-haul truck for 48 hours may seem like a strange way to draw awareness to a cause, but it sure caught my attention.
There is an epidemic of LGBT kids who are kicked out of their homes when they come out of the closet to their families. They have nowhere to go, and end up on the streets doing whatever they have to in order to stay alive.
But Richard Westbrook, through his organization Lost n Found, hoped living homeless on the truck would "raise awareness of the staggering number of homeless gay youth on Atlanta's streets."
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless:
* Nearly 40 percent of all homeless kids are gay.
* 58 percent of homeless LGBT youth become sexual victims on the streets.
* Nearly 62 percent of homeless LGBT youth end up killing themselves.
Said Westbrook, "...we have 24-48 hours to get a youth off the street before they have to do something extreme for survival - whether that be prostitution, selling drugs, or stealing."
Westbrook worries there are at least 200 homeless gay kids on the streets of Atlanta every night.
It's a huge problem and it's only going to get bigger.
Lost n Found works with the Atlanta
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to collect coats, canned food, and donations.
Here's the video from CBS Atlanta News.
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Much of this epidemic is caused by self-righteous and detestable lunatics like Tony Perkins, president of the hate group Family Research Council, who admonish parents to reject their LGBT children because of their sexual orientation, with absolutely no thought to the staggering consequences of doing so.
According to the article "Risk Factors for Attempted Suicide in Gay and Bisexual Youth" in Pediatrics Journal:
The odds ratios reported indicate that a homosexual youth experiencing high levels of rejection by family have a risk of attempting suicide as much as 8 times more than those experiencing little or no rejection by family. Looking at the raw numbers, this means as many as 67 percent of study subjects in the high rejection group had attempted suicide by age 25! Illicit drug use, substance abuse disorders, and risky sexual behaviors are also similarly increased in this group. The apparent effect of family rejection is devastating.
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I know everyone is pretty squeezed out right now, between the election and the upcoming holidays, but some of the items they're asking for are basic and affordable. Please read it over and see if there's any way you can help. In addition to goods, they're looking for services as well (end of the list), so if you live in the Atlanta area, please see if there's any way you can help.
We are currently in need of the items below for our group home, office, and outreach programs. Please contact us to arrange for drop-off or pick-up of items. Any items we cannot use we will donate forward, sell at a yard sale, or give to our clients who have moved into their own apartments.
Gift cards are the easiest way to help us get items we need
Kroger, Publix
CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens
Target, Walmart
Home Depot, Lowes
Amazon.com
OfficeMax, Staples, Office Depot
Furniture & Hardware
6' to 8' folding tables (2)
Folding chairs (8-10)
Housewares & Linens
Hand towels
Dish towels
Drape panels
Cutting boards
Knife sharpener (this is a good, inexpensive one)
Foods
Milk & other dairy
Fresh vegetables and fruits
Meats
Instant noodles, cereal and snack foods (for emergency food packs)
Office supplies
Pens, highlighters
Paper
Paperclips
Miscellaneous
Van or SUV with 3rd row seating
Retail space
Donation of Services
We are in the need of services by certain kinds of professionals. If you can help us in a professional capacity, please let us know:
Handyman or other repair services.
IT support services.
Moving services for our "graduating" clients.
Health services, particularly doctors in general or endocrinology practice.
Mental health services (psychology, psychiatry).