#striveforchange

[thewritinghaven]

Why?

Why? 

Why do humans kill in cold blood? 

Why are people judged by the colour of their skin?

Why are children beaten to death?

Why are populations decimated by others. 

Why? 

Why are POC denied so many things? 

The right to live, the right to speak. 

The right to play in a park with a toy gun.

 The right to go to the grocery store for their mothers. 

The right to go back home to their families. 

The right to see their children grow up.

Why?

Why do we live in a world with such injustice?

And why do people stand by and watch.

Watch the horrors play out like a movie.

Hear the death cries of the victims.

Like a song.

Watch the life leave their bodies.

Like they never existed to begin with.

Never taking into consideration the grief of the mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, children, of the victims.

And regretting it when the time comes to pay respects.

Regretting it when the body of someone with a bright future ahead of them is buried six feet beneath them.

A happy future.

A gone future.

Why?

[rickygadvisor]

Do all the things you don’t wanna do as fast as you can , so you can do all the things you wanna do for as long as you can #Repost - @edmylett by @get_regrammer CHANGE, GROW, IMPROVE ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE WHO YOU ARE NOW FOR WHO YOU CAN BECOME LATER? LEAVE A 💯 IN THE COMMENTS IF YOUR ANSWER IS YES! #MAXOUT #makesacrifices #changegrowimprove #striveforchange #bornworthy #pushyourselfeveryday (at Miami Beach, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb2_MSFLFij/?utm_medium=tumblr

[calmdowntia]

please don't let the turmoil caused by your revolution dim the spark of change within you. i've said this before and i'll say it again, it's always the darkest before the dawn. no matter the opinions of others, the change you strive for is totally worth it. people will say how we must revert back to the old times for they were more peaceful, but keep in mind, they're asking you to go back to the times of oppression, suppression and the times when you were bound to stay mute until talked to. your revolution is completely worth it. you don't need anybody to 'permit' you to voice your opinions. keep fighting, my warrior. i know it gets harder each day but trust me, love, it'll all be worth it. do not settle for less.

[aeriseta]

Check this design out on Society6! Peace Pour Painting by moi, Desirea de Desirea Artwork! #desireaartwork #desireanartwork #society6 #society6artist 👩‍🎨 #peacepourpainting #pourpainting #peace #striveforpeace #striveforchange #allcolors❤️💛💚💙💜❤️️ #alllivesmatter #wearemadeofstars #stardust #stars #starstuff #positiveaffirmations #sisepuede #earthwithoutartisjusteh #reducereuserecycle♻️ #fightforyourdreams #lawofattraction #lawofpositivism🌹 #collectiveconsciousness #stillyoung #muchtolearnistillhave #starwarsfan #hippieartist ☮️🗻✌️🕉️👩‍🎨 https://www.instagram.com/p/CC0Iq72JTQB/?igshid=xulfgffkcpz2

[scubaxsenpai]

It's crazy how their tactics is Merciless How there killing is so Effortless Which leaves the body Breathless It's tragic how it all feel the same. "I can't breath!" "I don't have any guns!" "I am following your directions!" With in the blink of an eye we lose another. Mom's prayers echo through my soul. My brother's pain tattoo on their sleeves. My sister's tears flood the street and why is the always the scene. Another "innocent" king dead in the streets. Another family broke due to hate, as violence is in arm reach. "We ready for war!" My brothers will sing, as the streets become a battlefield. "Wait why can't we heal! Why can't we find peace!" (Words not loud enough) A son, a father, a husband, and most of all a king lose his life. We put on the mask, as the tears fall down our face. We load up the clips, as the hollows will enter the rounds knowing that pain will never leave. "Why can't we find peace! Where is the love!" The screams of our grandparents because the change they fought for is still so far away. "We want peace, we want change, we want to be happy, WE WANT TO BE FREE! #blackout #blm #standforequality #blackouttuesday #poem #poetry #striveforchange #wewanttobefree #yallbesafe https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7IqhKHwLb/?igshid=1m0wq87e8e8mu

[godssogood777]

#toooften #absolutely #wecanchange #Striveforpositive #striveforchange https://www.instagram.com/p/B830BqygUfh/?igshid=14ppf0odsfzlf

[int908lgbthomelessindividua-blog]

Conclusion & Recommendations for the Future

In general, I believe that the experiences of homelessness for LGBT individuals are significantly different than those who identify as cis-gendered and heterosexual. This is attributed to a variety of reasons. In summary, these differences are related to:

the conceptualization of home and homelessness,

experiences with homophobia and transphobia, 

discriminatory rules and policies, 

susceptibility to invisibility, 

vulnerability to victimization, 

and holistic health problems. 

Before moving on, I want to first point out that I am not trying to discount the lived experience of gender and sexual minorities. Rather, I am trying to shed light on the unique issues that LGBT people may face, and want to highlight the importance and need for strategies take into consideration these intersecting factors. Overall, I firmly believe that sexual and gender identity lead to a more complex experience of homelessness. 

In terms of targeted interventions, it is important to use an intersectionality approach to examine the lived experience of homeless individuals, as sexual orientation and gender identity are crucial factors that cause great differences in lived experience. Moreover, I believe that there should be a general revision of the policies in our government and shelter systems that neglect this population, and a need to create new non-oppressive standards that improve the overall lifestyles of LGBT homeless individuals. There is a particular emphasis to develop targeted interventions that meet these needs. Strengthening family and kin relationships (Cohen, Colin, Johnson, Cali, & Montelongo, 2017) may be important for helping youth to build a supportive network that can safeguard aforementioned health issues, safeguard against victimization, and lead to increased feelings of belonging and visibility. Strengthening systems and institutions (Cohen et al., 2017) could be valuable for fixing the aforementioned rules and policies that discriminate against LGBT individuals, and to foster a system that respects the sexual and gender identities of individuals. Overall, the most important piece of information that you should take away from this blog is that the experiences of LGBT individuals is different and is important to recognize in order to develop a space that can facilitate health living and mobilization out of homelessness.

You did it! You made it to the end! I hope you learned a bit more about the experiences of LGBT homeless individuals, and the particular risks and barriers they face. 

I want to hear your thoughts! DM me and let me know!

How have your perceptions of LGBT homelessness changed? 

Do you agree with my points? Have you had experience with any of these issues? 

What do you think you can do to help combat homelessness for LGBT individuals? 

Also, keep re-posting! Raising awareness is the first step towards change! 

To read more about how Toronto is currently striving to better the conditions for LGBT youth, click the links below: 

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/01/13/unveiling-a-safe-haven-for-lgbtq-youth.html

https://torontoist.com/2016/04/second-toronto-lgbtq-transitional-home-to-open-in-2017/

References 

Addiction Blog. (2017, February 25). [Rainbow people] [Digital image]. Retrieved from: http://images.addictionblog.org/cherrycake/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Addiction-risk-factors-in-the-LGBT-community-2.jpg

Cohen, L., Colin, M., Johnson, R., Cali, K., & Montelongo, M. (2017). The youth homelessness cris and a path to end it: Interventions to better serve LGBTQ2S youth experiencing homelessness In Abramovich, A., & Shelton, J. (Ed.). (2017). Where Am I Going to Go? Intersectional Approaches to Ending LGBTQ2S Youth Homelessness in Canada & the U.S. (pp. 115-130). Toronto: Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Press.

Gwilliam-Beeharee, K. (2015). [Tree with hands] [Digital image]. Retrieved from: https://media-exp2.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/4/005/0b2/0b3/1169d89.jpg

[People living on the streets] [Digital image]. Retrieved from: http://southfloridagaynews.com/images/stories/Clip-Art/homeless.jpg [homeless]