The Other Side of Risk: Reframing Homelessness for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Young People

Background: The limited amount of literature concerned with the population of unstably housed transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) young people is primarily focused on psychiatric adjustment, and the sexual, physical and mental health related risk factors associated with these identities and experiences.   With the exception of a few notable publications (Grossman, D’Augelli, & Frank, 2011; Mallon, 2009; Stieglitz, 2010) there has been little in depth investigation into the population from an affirmative, non-pathological standpoint.  This provides a narrow and limited view of their life contexts (Stieglitz, 2010). Burgess (2009) mentions the need to modify and expand the academic literature to balance negative references with diverse, unbiased representations of the transgender community. This inquiry explored homelessness among TGNC youth holistically, seeking to identify what concurrently exists alongside the inherent risks involved with their homeless experiences.

 Methods: A purposive sample of TGNC young people was recruited from New York City youth serving agencies for this qualitative study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, in which participants were asked to describe their experiences related to both their gender identity and homelessness. NVivo9 was utilized for data management and storage. The heuristic process of phenomenological inquiry guided analysis. The final sample included 27 TGNC youth ages 19 – 24 (mean 21.5). Participants identified their gender in the following ways: trans female (37%), trans male (11%), female (19%), male (7%), something else (7%) and 19% chose multiple labels to represent their gender identity. The participants identified as heterosexual (30%), gay (19%), lesbian (11%), queer (7%), bisexual (7%), and demisexual (4%), something else (7%), and 15% chose multiple labels to describe their sexual orientation.

 Findings: Homelessness presented many challenges for these young people as might be expected. However, all participants also described instances of affirmation and growth during their periods of homelessness.  These instances were related to the articulation of their gender identity and involved an expanding sense of self, connection to community, access to information, and concrete skill development.  Notably, one-third of the participants explicitly stated they would have committed suicide had they not left their homes. The findings challenge the dominant discourse related to homelessness and require that we rethink how we inquire about homeless transgender youth’s needs and best provide their services.

 Conclusion and Implications: The findings prohibit conceptualizations of homelessness among TGNC young people as solely a mechanism for risk and violence.  This one-dimensional understanding undermines the resourcefulness and growth of young people who actively search for a world in which they can be themselves. While the participants did share experiences that supported the dominant discourse related to homelessness, including experiences of violence, risk, and victimization, they also described situations that they experienced as beneficial and growth-producing. Their narratives were populated with much more than risk, and they talked about things other than risk with more frequency.  They also described instances of affirmation, connection, and growth and referenced the development of skills and feelings of self-sufficiency. Understanding these experiences enables the creation of programs and services that may better meet their needs.