17, Gay, and No other option

[Unregistered]

Hello, I am a gay, 17 year old Russian living in northern states. As you can already tell, I am not out to my family because we are Russian and my family is super against that. This year alone, my mother has kicked me out for various reasons (staying out too late w/ friends, accusing me of stealing a phone, etc.) The recent time she kicked me out, I was in school. So, I was able to take action and call CPS (previous times I was out of school, no phone, and our only payphone in town is broken.) I had a place to stay (my friends,) I had a valid reason to call (she kicked me out, but before I could leave she threw my phone at my face, and took me down to the ground to continue beating me. I hit her back in self defense, and then my grandfather and brother jumped onto me and hit me as well. She drove to the police station and got an officer for me hitting her back, and the officer took me to my friends house but did not call CPS because "I had no signs of being hit.") CPS came to school, and I think I had someone new. #1, she did not write down my story, she only wrote down the age, jobs, and family members which I told her. #2, Whole time I told her my story, she kept repeating "that sucks", "wow", and "that just really sucks", #3, She told my mother that my mom can call the police if I don't come home, I am not sure how this plays in really, but according to my friends mother she wasn't supposed to do that until the whole case was closed. Also, my mother (and what I presume my family members) told her that I refused to take my anti-depressions, I was diagnosed depressed, and that I refused to see my therapist. Now, the issue here is that I have never been on anti-depressents, I haven't seen a therapist since the 3rd grade (when we lived in a different state), and I have never been diagnosed for depression. She did not ask my mother or do anything to find any evidence like doctor files or whatever. I also assume that she did not check with the police officer for his report of that night, because it was never mentioned. I also assume my mother told my brother and sister to lie to the CPS so the majority of their story would make mine invalid. Such as me apparently "running away" at night when I was hanging out with friends (my sister even said this story, but she never knew of this.)

My mother, is also very crazy. She has threatened to kill herself so many times and refuses to see a therapist but wants me to see one. The week I was gone, she continuesly emailed me crazy things such as, "I'm sleeping in your bed tonight because I miss you so much", "Maybe I'll get a cat to remind me of you", and she lied about someone leaving a letter threatening to kill the entire family and burn the house down (I only told my friend and her mother of what happened, and I was with them the entire time so no way they could of done something like that.) Now, after the whole thing where the CPS was convinced of my mothers story, I have no where to go. I can't call the CPS again, because my family will just outweigh my story, we've had the idea of going to court to try to get a temp. custody of me to my friends mother, but CPS would just follow and tell what my family said, and my only option is to go to a homeless youth shelter or run away.

Now, I see the run away more fit for me, as I have experienced it before. Other times when my mom kicked me out I would stay with some foreign co-workers at the time. I find myself a very self sufficient person as that is how I was raised to be), and I am in no way will ever feel safe in my home after what has happened. I now plan to go out of state, and I am wondering if there is any advice that can be given to me as I have never left out of state. Also, is the "amtrak" station open this time of year (winter)? The amtrak site gives no times of my nearest station. I have made this post short and left out some details that I find small, but if you have any questions please also ask me. I just need advice because I honestly can't believe I am in this kind of situation.

[ccsmod2]

re: 17 gay and no other option

Hello,

To answer your question about Amtrak, it does operate all year round. However, there may not be a station in your town depending where you are. 18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. However, in that case there may be services (family counseling, etc.) available to you as a youth in crisis/runaway but again, police procedures related to offering those services can be different based on your location or the details of your situation. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. One way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth.

NRS