STUDY: LGBT Youth Are Disproportionately in Jail – The Advocate

A study recently published by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) exposes the harms that LGBTQ youths are at higher risk for incarceration in the juvenile justice system to begin with. Particularly concerning is number of queer youth—especially lesbian and bisexual girls—that end up in jail or prison. The study found that girls are more likely to openly identify as lesbian or bisexual whereas boys would not admit to these feelings. However, boys who identified as gay or bisexual were more likely to be sexually victimized by staff than girls who identified as lesbian or bisexual. Overall, the study found that LGBTQ youths are more likely to be sexually assaulted than their straight peers. Read more.