WASHINGTON, D.C., December 6, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Homosexual and transgender young people are more likely to be abused by people they are dating than their heterosexual counterparts, according to a September report from the Urban Institute.

According to the polls, transgender teenagers face the worst abuse rates of all.
Approximately six percent of respondents identified as homosexual, bisexual, questioning, or other ways aside from heterosexual or transgender.
A homosexual publication reported that the groundbreaking report, which was funded by a grant from the Justice Department, found:
  • 43 percent reported being victims of physical dating violence, compared to 29 percent of heterosexual youth;
  • 59 percent reported emotional abuse, compared to 46 percent of heterosexual youth;
  • 37 percent reported digital abuse and harassment, compared to 26 percent of heterosexual youth;and
  • 23 percent reported sexual coercion, compared to 12 percent of heterosexual youth.
Only 18 transgendered students were surveyed, but they reported the highest rates of abuse.
  • Fully 89 percent reported physical dating violence;
  • 61 percent said they were sexually coerced;
  • 59 percent had been emotionally victimized; and
  • 56 percent reported digital abuse and harassment.
“These statistics are really troubling,” a Program Director (PD) for a New England-based at-risk youth diversion program, who asked to remain anonymous, told LifeSiteNews.com.
The PD told LifeSiteNews that non-heterosexual youths “often have limited role models on which to base their behavior. They learn maladaptive interpersonal skills and are often desperate for connection. These kids stay longer, and engage in, toxic relationships far longer than they should.”
 
The PD said recommended parents engage in “open communication” with their children, telling them what to expect in a healthy relationship and when to leave.
The report noted that there may be a correlation between problems LGBTQ youths face in relationships and issues in other areas of their lives. For example, LGBTQ youths often have problems at home and in other areas of life, including feeling unsafe at school and substance abuse.
LifeSiteNews.com contacted the report's lead author for further details on these areas, but they did not respond by press time.

The report anonymously surveyed 5,647 youths from 10 schools – five in New York State, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Two junior high schools in New York were surveyed; the rest were high schools. 3,745 youths reported being in a relationship. The schools varied in locations from cities to in rural and suburban areas.

Source: LifeSite News