Homeless Gay and Transgender Youth of Color in San Francisco: “No One Likes Street Kids”—Even in the Castro

Abstract

This study, focused on five transgender and gay youth of color from San Francisco, explored how family problems, poverty, homophobia, and transphobia propelled them into homelessness and made gay-friendly spaces and resources especially meaningful to them. These young people describe seeking support in San Francisco's well-known gay enclave, the Castro District, to form community and find safety from a homophobic and transphobic world. This study also explored difficulties these youth face as homeless LGBTQ young people of color navigating this neighborhood, which is widely considered a safe haven for LGBTQ people. In the Castro, they experienced invisibility, police and community harassment, sexualization, and commodification. Finally, this article examined how participation in a visible gay neighborhood contributed to their vulnerability yet offered marginally housed transgender and gay youth of color an important space to explore their identities.