2SLGBTQAI+ youth are overrepresented in the homeless community (25% – 40% of homeless youth are 2SLGBTQAI+). Family rejection is the most common cause of 2SLGBTQAI+ youth homelessness.
Bree is a transgender woman who is working towards her psychology degree. Her parents placed a lot of pressure on her to maintain a B average, as a stipulation for them to continue to fund her education. She was often degraded by her parents and told that she wasn’t good enough.
Bree loves being in school. At school, she feels very supported and there are other trans youth in her program, who she has befriended. This support gave Bree the strength needed to tell her parents that she was transitioning. Her parents did not support her transitioning. This tension at home ended in a heated argument, where Bree was asked to leave.
Bree had transitioned before entering the Crisis Program, last year. Bree is now in the Rights of Passage program where she is involved in learning life skills and participating in social activities. She is working with one of our clinical counsellors and her primary healthcare team.
While Bree works towards her degree, her parents are attending support groups to understand their child’s identity.
This summer, Bree worked for a psychologist, entering data from their research. She is only two semesters away from completing her psychology degree. Upon graduation, Bree wants to work to work for a while before considering more schooling to become a psychiatrist. She wishes to work with the Asian community to help them understand trans youth and work with families on accepting their trans children.