She suggested that her son move out. After two months of living on the streets of Toronto, Hernandez heard about the Triangle Program. Run by the Toronto board of education from a church basement in the city's east end, it provides up to 25 gay and lesbian teenagers with a safe place to learn, and the life skills needed to return to the regular school system. According to many gay adults, there may never have been a better time to be gay. Last year, Parliament outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Many employers now offer same-sex spousal benefits.
Celebrities such as singer k.d. lang and TV's Ellen DeGeneres are providing high-profile, proud role models. But gay teenagers are likely to offer a starkly different appraisal. Stepping out of the closet, they find themselves stumbling into classrooms where being gay can be a dangerous proposition. Society may be making huge strides. But in schools today, gay kids continue to be the scum of the earth.