Housing
Why There’s a Homelessness Crisis Among Transgender Teens
In California and other states, transgender and non-binary people are more likely to be unsheltered than any other unhoused population.
The decision to leave home wasn’t easy for Greyson. After his mother was deported to Mexico, he’d been almost single-handedly taking care of his two younger sisters and his father, who was addicted to drugs. When he was 15, the family made plans to move from California’s East Bay down to Mexico, too. As a trans person, Greyson was scared. He had heard horror stories of beatings and assaults of LGBTQ people.
“It’s dangerous existing [there],” said Greyson, who didn’t share his last name. “It was either get murdered, kill myself, or run away.” He chose the third option.