Father Greg and the Homeboys

What happens when we show gang members we care?

Most don’t know the real story of life in an inner-city neighborhood where two ethnicities with gangs abut and overlap. Tensions and violence spiral to a point where those caught up in gang activity for defense as well as revenge reach a “don’t care” attitude and way of life. 

The neighborhood described by this LA Times journalist, who was captivated by Fr. Gregory Boyle’s story, is Pico-Aliso Neighborhood of East LA, and the nationally acclaimed hero is a Jesuit priest who becomes a father-figure to all Latino youths willing to accept his help.

Read more about Father Greg and the book on him by Celeste Fremon here. 

Gay Teens: New Topic and Helpful Resources

'Coming Out' Isn't Easy.

A national study of homosexual teens done over Myspace and Facebook in 2009 by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of some 7,261 self-reported homosexual students between the ages of 13 and 21 found that:

• 88.9% of students heard “gay” used in a negative way (e.g., “that’s so gay”) frequently or often at school, and 86.5% reported that they felt distressed to some degree by this.

• 72.4% heard other homophobic remarks (e.g., “dyke” or “faggot”) frequently or often at school. 62.6% heard negative remarks about gender expression (not acting “masculine enough” or “feminine enough”) frequently or often at school.

• 61.1% felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and 39.9% because of how they expressed their gender.

• 84.6% were verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened) at school because of their sexual orientation and 63.7% because of their gender expression.

• 40.1% were physically harassed (e.g., pushed or shoved) at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 27.2% because of their gender expression.

• 18.8% were physically assaulted (e.g., punched, kicked, injured with a weapon) because of their sexual orientation and 12.5% because of their gender expression.

• 52.9% of LGBT students were harassed or threatened by their peers via electronic mediums (e.g., text messages, emails, instant messages or postings on Internet sites such as Facebook), often known as cyberbullying.  
  Read more in our new Gay Teens topic and overview page. 
  
  
  In addition, we've posted some helpful resources for both parents and teens here.