Influencing Government Involvement in LGBTQ+ Youth Houselessness

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While reading an article from Lesley University, I was struck by the following line,

            “…there are currently no federal programs specifically designed to meet the needs of gay and transgender homeless youth.”

So I started thinking… what if there could be? Anytime we have an idea that we’d like to see adopted by the government, first step is looking around at our local governments to see what kinds of influence we can have. I looked up ways to create legislative change, and found a few nice articles from the U.S. government, the Oregon government, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Every change starts with an idea. Once we have a solid idea, we can pitch it to a legislator. If we take time to get to know them, we will be spending more time with them which can lead to more listening time. And, if multiple people keep pitching the same idea, it will be harder for the legislator to ignore if it did not immediately grab their attention. You can follow legislation on the internet to see if it’s gaining traction in the form of floor votes.

You can also testify before a committee. Many people do this when it comes to issues they are passionate about. However, the AAFP warns that it can be incredibly time consuming and frustrating, involving postponements with “little prior notice.”

The AAFP also created a list of legislative dos and don’ts that I thought sounded like good advice:

Courtesy of http://www.aafp.org:

Do

·         Be polite.

·         Be factual and concise, giving examples when appropriate.

·         Know the pros and cons of the issue.

·         Personalize your communication.

·         Be a patient advocate.

·         Meet with your local legislators when possible; hopefully, before an issue comes up.

·         Be a good listener.

·         Learn the legislative process.

·         Always answer legislators' questions or requests for more information accurately and promptly. Be truthful if you don't know the answer.

·         Be willing to testify on issues that are important to you and your patients.

Don't

·         Threaten or make demands.

·         Be dictatorial, especially if you don't have a thorough knowledge of the issue.

·         Use form letters.

·         Come across as self-serving.

·         Be impatient. The legislative process can be time-consuming.

Hopefully this information helps if you are passionate about seeing the government create a program that specifically helps LGBT+ homeless youth.