National LGBT Leader Visits San Francisco To Focus On Issues Facing Youth
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – The leader of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization is visiting the Bay Area this weekend, focusing on issues facing LGBT youth in California.
New Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin visited the Castro District on Sunday to talk about a recently released report by his group that is based on responses from 10,000 LGBT youth across the country.
KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:
Griffin said more than half of the respondents said they are verbally harassed.
"When asked if they have an adult to turn to, only 50 percent have an adult to turn to," said Griffin. "When asked if their family is accepting of them, 1 in 3 say no, their family is not accepting."
Griffin said that more than 40 percent of the teens who participated in the report said they do not feel accepted by their communities. Despite these percentages, Griffin said some progress is being made.
"But this survey shows that we still have a long way to go. It also shows that our LGBT youth are incredibly resilient despite that they have issues with their families, in their own homes, at school and at church," he said.
Griffin said that as head of the Human Rights Campaign, he wants to focus on outreach to parents as well as leaders of the faith and medical communities.
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
