AUGUSTA, Maine — A new report says most states lack the anti-discrimination policies and training needed to protect transgender youth in foster care, juvenile detention facilities and homeless shelters.
The civil rights organization Lambda Legal helped write the report and says that youth who express their gender against societal expectations are dramatically over-represented in such settings.
The report says states must improve policies and require ongoing LGBT training for staff members to protect transgender youth.
New York and California are the only states with non-discrimination policies that apply to transgender youth in out-of-home care settings.
The suicide of a transgender boy at a Maine youth corrections facility last fall has led to calls for improved conditions and treatment for all incarcerated young people, particularly transgender young people and those navigating mental health issues.