Avenues for Justice Celebrates Our LGBTQ+ Participants and Community Partners With Pride

"All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential." -Harvey Milk

‍In honor of Pride Month, Avenues for Justice (AFJ) proudly celebrates our LGBTQ+ Participants, neighbors, supporters and community partners. AFJ was founded to combat issues rooted in structural racism and oppression of all kinds; as a result, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is the very fabric of who we are as an organization. Our commitment to DEI is present in all that we do – from staffing to programming to strategy and growth. 

In our programming, each Participant receives an individualized action plan that considers how intersectional issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability impact their overall experience with the criminal justice system. 

Our initiatives in mental health are specifically targeted to unpack trauma from sex-based discrimination and to addresses institutional racism and generational trauma within the court system. We have received tremendous feedback from Participants on how mental health education has helped empower them with a greater understanding of mindfulness, self-worth and belonging. 

Despite only 9% of our country’s youth identifying as LGBTQ+, this population accounts for 20% of youth who are incarcerated in juvenile justice facilities. Of those youth who are incarcerated, 85% are youth of color. The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy estimates that half of LGBTQ+ youth in the United States are “at risk” of being arrested or entering juvenile and criminal justice systems. (UNJUST: LGBTQ YOUTH INCARCERATED  IN THEJUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, 2017). 

LGBTQ+ youth face unique challenges in detention, such as inappropriate placement for trans and gender non-conforming youth, twice the rate of sexual misconduct from staff and 10x the rate of sexual assault by their peers, inappropriate health and mental healthcare, and a lack of specialized supportive services.

At Avenues for Justice our core philosophy is to provide individualized, supportive services tailored to each young person and their specific needs. This allows us to understand and meaningfully address the individual and systemic issues Participants face, supporting them with second chances and providing them with a path forward to success.