Houseboat_Viking

Our grass isn't greener than yours, it's just cut in a different way.

Absolutely. Seeing a guy giving an old alcoholic the last beer he had, so that the old guy could stop shaking from delirium tremens long enough to eat a bit of soup got me all teary. Also, the amazing tenderness with which homeless people treat their dogs is worthy of endless praise. I have seen a man use his last few dollars on a blanket for his dog, so that the dog wouldn't get wet and sick from sleeping outside. All this whilst he's shaking from withdrawal... Gosh, just thinking about the loving look on his face whilst he petted his little runt of a dog brings tears to my eyes.

Yep, and those are some of the most amazing people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Of course, of these few people, it's only a tiny minority that does not have some sort of psychological disorder or other disability that renders them unable to work within the normal confines of society.

I'm glad to hear that :) People who have so little can be absolutely wonderful and generous. However, never underestimate the corrupting power of dependency or withdrawal. I have seen BFF's steal, beat and lie to each other because of one tiny balloon of heroin. Never trust a junky, but believe in his/hers potential for good.

Never. There is a very strict hierarchy amongst homeless people (in Denmark at least). Male alcoholics are on top, with females just below. Then comes the junkies (male, then female), then the prostitutes, and then, at the very bottom, the male prostitutes. Nobody in their right mind would ever, ever admit to being a male prostitute, as that would be the equivalent to painting a bullseye on your back. You could easily get beaten to death (not kidding) if other homeless find out you're a male prostitute.

The reason why my answer to your question was so short is that whatever transgender persons exist amongst the homeless, they keep their sexuality very much to themselves as it would be incredibly risky for them to come out as who they truly are. Sad but true :(