Queer and Loathing: Does the Foster Care System Bully Gay Kids?

[pgodbold]

"lesbian teen in Connecticut ... made a pinky promise with her social worker to "not be gay.""

"When one youth-services nonprofit surveyed its 246 foster families, it found only 21 who were willing to accept a gay teenager."

MotherJones:
http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/11/gay-kids-foster...

Cross posted in GLBT

[xchrom]

1. anti-gay bias in this country is bone deep. nt

[BlueIris]

2. Yet another scary element of our corrupt foster care system. nt

[mkultra]

3. i fail to see the linek between the surveyed families and the foster system

[Wednesdays]

4. I see what you're saying, and it has validity

However, could the foster system not do a better job at educating people?

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Apparently not. This is not a new story this is old as

the hills.

[mkultra]

9. and are you doing anything to help?

Or do you just run your mouth? Do you foster?

[mkultra]

7. well, being a foster parent i can speak from experience

that they don't specifically target sexual orientation or race for that matter. They do train us in accepting and understanding both culture, family, and the preservation of identity.

The foster system is an underfunded, legally suffocated best effort attempt to help as much as possible. In fact, it pisses me off a little when people bitch about the system when its full of people just trying to make a difference. Do you foster?

[MiniMe]

6. I think that any kid who is different, however they are different

can be the target of bullying.

[mkultra]

8. pretty much ANY foster child can be the target of bullying

And frequently is. when the kids at school find out, it becomes the topic dejour.