Report describes ‘emergency’ for LGBTQ youth in DCF system LGBTQ youth are suffering from a lack of safe, effective, and affirming services. TJ Farmer, 17, steps up to the kickball plate at the Let Trans Athletes Play (LTAP) event in Mayor Danehy Park on Aug. 1, 2021. (Christiana Botic for The Boston Globe)
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LGBTQ youth are experiencing discrimination and mistreatment at higher rates while in the hands of the state’s child welfare system, according to a new report from the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth.
The report references local and national data, interviews with current and former foster children and parents, and information from stakeholders, which all paint a bleak picture of life as an openly LGBTQ youth in state care. Among the many recommendations for improvement was rigorous data collection, as the report noted that agency-specific data on LGBTQ youth is largely unavailable.