All over the world and especially in North America we have begun to see laws and legislation changing in favour of LGBT people in terms of equal rights for all. Especially in the United States there have been many triumphs in the fight for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals. We’ve seen an increase in states that are allowing same-sex marriage and we even saw the repeal of America’s long standing “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy forbidding gays and lesbians to openly participate in the U.S military. But some are arguing that issues surrounding LGBT homelessness is the next battle in the war of equal rights for all. Many LGBT activist groups are beginning to argue that gay rights groups are putting too much focus on marriage equality and not enough focus on what they consider to be bigger issues at hand, one of these issues that keeps popping up is the rates of LGBT homelessness. LGBT youth homelessness is an issue that is invisible to most people and it seems that it is largely indivisible to the groups whose sole purpose is to help LGBT people have better lives. The fact that resources designed to specifically address the needs of LGBT homeless youth are scarce even in heavily populated cities with large gay hubs, such as Toronto, speaks volumes about how much attention the issue is really getting. It is extremely difficult to truly address these issues when they are not getting the attention they sorely need because invisible causes are the causes that don’t receive funding which makes it difficult to even begin to think about implementing the resources that LGBT homeless youth truly need.
Some interesting articles on the issue (click article titles to read more):
Is Marriage Equality Overshadowing Other Important Issues?
Do LGBT Organizations Favor Marriage Equality Efforts Over Homeless Gay Youth Issues?
Out of the Closet and Onto the Street 
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