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New LGBT youth homeless shelter in San Antonio among few of its kind in US
Growing up in a small town in the Texas Panhandle, Sandra Whitley says she knew she was gay from the age of 13 — in 1975.
“I thought I was the only person in the world that had these feelings,” Whitley writes. “As much as I tried to keep it a secret, it was not long until my classmates, the town, and my parents knew. The parents of my classmates would not let their children associate with a homosexual. I no longer had friends. I was the talk of the town and my parents were not pleased. The school board tried to expel me from school. I was very lost and had no one to talk to.”
Whitley said she considered running away but ended up in a mental hospital.
“As horrible as that place was and as angry as I was when I got out (and for years to come), I did not end up on the streets,” Whitley writes. “As my life continued, I was always in trouble for being gay. My relationship with my parents suffered for 20 years. I often said my only crime has been being gay.”
Read more: http://www.lonestarq.com/new-lgbt-youth-homeless-shelter-in-san-antonio-among-few-of-its-kind-in-us/
Cross-posted in the LGBT Group.