Group collects items for homeless GLBT youth

In the holiday spirit of giving, the Bloomington's Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians held its December meeting Wednesday and asked those who attended to bring donations of items on the Indiana Youth Group's "wish list," which the group will distribute to homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) youth.\nItems on the Indiana Youth Group's "wish list" include paper goods, socks, underwear, non-perishable food items, such as meals in a box or can, single serving drinks, unisex shirts and sweat clothes. \nAlmost 30 percent of the youths on the streets are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, said Dana Scott, an outreach coordinator for the Youth Group who works with young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.\n"Either they've been kicked out of home because of their sexual or gender orientation, or they've left home because it's become abusive," Scott said.\nHe explained that although homeless youth have nowhere to spend the night, most of the young people he works with in the Youth Group are at risk of homelessness. This means they are currently able to find temporary lodging but uncertain about how long they will be able to do so. \n"(They stay at) friends' houses (or) wherever the party is that night," Scott said.\nThe technical term for this transient lifestyle is 'couchsurfing,' said senior Kendra Clarke, who is employed by the GLBT Center at IU.\n"Things at home can be a lot more stressful (for GLBT youth)," Clarke said. "A lot of them are runaways or throwaways."\nThrowaways are teens or young adults who have not formally run away or been kicked out by their parents, but are no longer comfortable in their own home.\n"They don't want to be there, and their parents don't want them there," Scott said.\nAnother highlight of Wednesday's meeting was a video presentation on "Gays in the Media" given by Jeff Bennett, a doctoral student in communications and culture. \nThere has been a "burst of visibility" in the media recently for GLBT individuals, according to Bennett.\n"The fact that we have so much visibility right now really offers us a lot of opportunities," Bennett said. "You have the potential to connect with people."\nAlthough Bennett said he feels that increased media coverage of GLBT issues has been a positive force in general, it does have a few downsides.\n"Especially on television because it's mass marketing, a lot of people get left out," Bennett said. \nHe explained that the media depicts white gay males far more often than gay males belonging to ethnic minorities or lesbians. Also, many media representations of GLBT individuals emphasize traits that differentiate them from the heterosexual population.\n"It helps break down barriers, but also might redefine stereotypes," Bennett said.\nDespite these problems, he said media visibility is helping to introduce GLBT issues to the mainstream public and providing GLBT youth with a cultural image that can help them understand they are not alone. \n"You see other people who are like you," Bennett said.\n-- Contact staff writer Elise Baker at elimbake@indiana.edu.