A 19-year-old gay man is safe and staying with a family friend in Atlanta, Georgia, after suffering physical and verbal abuse at the hands of his stepmother, father, and grandparents when he told them he was gay.
Daniel Pierce filmed his family's reaction to his confirmation that he was gay in chilling first-hand look at the violence and rejection that can result when parents don't accept their child's sexual orientation.
The video, which Pierce captured on his cell phone and a coworker uploaded, has been viewed nearly 800,000 times on YouTube at press time, since it was published Wednesday evening (now about 5.6 million views). Pierce's boyfriend set up a GoFundMe account to help his partner cover living expenses, as the family made good on its threat to cut the teenager off financially, even taking his car. At press time, the GoFundMe page has raised more than $20,000 (now close to $95K)
While stories of parents accepting and affirming their LGBT children are becoming more common, this clip provides a stark reminder that many LGBT youth still face emotional, physical, and spiritual violence in their families of origin. Familial rejection is one of the leading causes of the high number of LGBT youth who are homeless — estimates have found that as many as 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBT-identified. (the Advocate)
While stories of parents accepting and affirming their LGBT children are becoming more common, this clip provides a stark reminder that many LGBT youth still face emotional, physical, and spiritual violence in their families of origin. Familial rejection is one of the leading causes of the high number of LGBT youth who are homeless — estimates have found that as many as 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBT-identified. (the Advocate)
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