Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Toby Eastman: The youth that come into Larkin Street represent such an amazing
diverse community. I'm Toby Eastman.
I'm the Chief of Programs for Larkin Street Youth Services.
*** young people listen to funk rock music and *** young people listen to hip
hop music and there are *** youth who are in gangs.
When a young person walks in the door you can't peg them, you can't make a decision
about who they are by just looking at them.
Loch McHale: I fell into working with youth, specifically at-risk youth.
I was doing music and art stuff and decided I wanted a little bit more of
a regular job, if you will.
Before sitting down with a client really going through a checklist -- did I eat too
much before I need to sit down with this client, do I need to go pee, do I need to
go have a drink of water -- what is it that I need to do so that I can be
completely comfortable in the moment with the client and let them know that I'm
there for them just listening and reflecting about what it is they have
going on.
Toby Eastman: And their parents had literally put them on a bus, put them on
a Greyhound to San Francisco and there will try to create a new life for themselves.
Izzy: I was actually one of the kids who would scrutinize and criticize other kids
for being part of the LGBT community because I had not come to terms with
myself yet, it never occurred to me that I'd be a transgender.
I was always arguing with my parents and we'd soon realize that there was some
internal problems and that it's best if I just packed my stuff and left.
Toby Eastman: It's a story that we sort of hear over and over again where a young
person is leaving their home and all of a sudden find themselves with no resources,
no support, and having to create a whole new life for themselves.
In terms of the LGBTQ community, it's such a fluid and changing community at all
times and the young people may be fluid and changing in terms of their identity
that it's important to let them take the lead and listen to what it is that they
want. I think that being a *** person myself
definitely informs my work. I absolutely do not think that you would
have to be a *** person yourself in order to serve *** young people.
I mean they're facing even increased risk factors than the general population of
homeless youth. They're facing family rejection.
They may be facing rejection from an entire community.
So what that does to your self-esteem
and then what that in turn might make - the choices that that might lead you to are
really important to consider and really important for us to help educate young
people and help them steer in different directions.
Loch McHale: When I got up this morning I felt like I do everyday, just really
excited to come to work knowing that I have no idea whatsoever what the day's
going to look like. I was working with youth and just how
much a genius they are and using the survivals that they use to get through
life day by day is brilliant. I definitely learned about the LGBTQ
Community because I have mentors and I have other co-workers that I learned from
and friends as well and in my personal life.
I had a hard core pop and that's kind of how I got introduced to the LGBTQ
community because its youth that didn't feel like that they'd fit in to society's
norm and so they kind of came and hung out with us and we hung out with them.
It was like "We're the same, we just don't fit in."
We may have different *** preferences and stuff but we don't fit in.
Barbara: How was your day today?
Loch McHale: I got to work with a client today. So LGBTQIQ2-S - the L is lesbian,
the G is gay, Q ***, I is intersex, T is trans -
Barbara: So are they just all gay or bisexual?
Lock McHale: So from my understanding that a lot of it has to do with each
individual, each individual's experience and what it is they in particular identify
with some like friends, you know, go identify it as gay and some as ***
and in some it's generational and then some of it's drug-related.
Perfect example, what do you call your nephews?
Barbara: Hapas. Lock McHale: Hapas - which is what?
Barbara: Slang for half-Asian, half- Kuwaitis.
Loch McHale: Okay. And then remember how I was talking about
one friend and she got all offended because I said that.
so each person's going to have a unique experience with that,
right? And so for you and your family and other families possibly, Hapas is okay but for
one other friend she was actually offended by it.
No one ever has the same story. Even if you believe in the same things
everybody's going to have a different feeling, different experience,
different point of view but in a community that society may not accept.
Let them know that regardless I don't care, I love you , you're one of my friends.
Male Speaker: Next time on Larkin Street Stories.
Toby Eastman: A shift in the energy of the room that made me say
"There's something happening here. There's something that needs to be
addressed."