Pride Month Reflections from Foster Advocates

Last June, about a month after I started at Foster Advocates, we launched our first statewide research to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Fosters. In preparing that survey, it was essential to me as a researcher, and as a queer woman, to collect self-identified gender identity and sexual orientation demographics. I did not know at the time how groundbreaking that would be for Minnesota foster care.

A year later, as Pride month is wrapping up I’m reflecting on what we illuminated through our research over the past year: 

30% of Minnesota Fosters identify as marginalized sexual orientation,
and 5% identify as a marginalized gender identity. 

Overall, LGBTQ+ and Two-spirit youth are overrepresented in foster care, at 3-5 times the rate of their non-foster peers. This disparity trend matches recent studies from California and New York--but to our knowledge, our research is the first out of Minnesota. 

Why has this overrepresentation of LGBTQ2S+ youth in foster care gone underreported? Right now, the Minnesota child welfare system doesn’t track these factors, but in other states, abuse from families of origin over sexual orientation and gender identity can be a primary reason for family separation. However, entering foster care doesn’t guarantee safety—a high percentage of LGBTQ2S+ youth experience harassment and violence in out-of-home care and are more likely to experience multiple placements or be placed in group homes. I remember my coming out process at age 22 and how much risk assessment was involved each time, even with people in my network who I expected to be supportive. For Fosters, that risk assessment becomes even more complicated, as it is often unclear whether they will experience harassment or further abuse from foster parents, caseworkers, or the whole state system if their identity is disclosed.

Foster Advocates is excited to announce we will be working with LGBTQ2S+ Fosters this fall, through a paid design process to identify system and practice solutions designed from their lived experiences and expertise. 

If you want to participate, learn more, or partner, I’d love to talk with you--reach out to elena@fosteradvocates.org.

In solidarity,

Elena Leomi
Associate Director