i'm trans and not accepted. can i stay with my friend?

[Guest]

i recently came out to my father as female to male transgender. he didn't take it well. he won't talk to me but sometimes he'll call me disgusting or sinner. he is going to take me to a cathedral soon. my friend thinks i shoud stay with him until my dad calms down. am i allowed to?

[ccsmod5]

Hi, thank you for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’re in a really difficult situation. It must be hard to have your dad call you those names for just being who you are, we’re sorry to hear that. It seems like you have a good friend that cares about you and your well-being though, and it’s very nice of them to offer a place to stay until your dad calms down. The situation at home must be really hard to deal with and it’s understandable for you to want to leave. Depending on how old you are, this may be considered running away. It’s important to check the age of majority in your state. If you’re under that age, and you leave, your dad could decide to file a runaway report. Running away isn’t illegal, but if you come across the police they may have to bring you back home. If you’re under the age of majority and stay with someone that’s over that age, they could get in trouble for “harboring a runaway” if your dad decides to press charges. That’s just a few things to think about before making a decision. Another great resource could be the Trans Lifeline, 1-877-565-8860. They would have information and resources that could be more helpful to you. Also, we provide a conference call service where you could talk to your dad with someone from National Runaway Safeline in the middle acting as a mediator. We would establish some rules and goals for the conversation, making sure that it’s productive and doesn’t ending up with anyone yelling. If that sounds like something you’d like to try, call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We have a link to a survey where you could offer feedback for our services here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think
We wish you the best of luck with everything, and please reach out to us if you have any more question, need more resources, or just need to talk about what’s going on; we’re 24/7 and toll-free.

[Guest]

thank you. i didn't know my dad could press charges. what would happen if i had permission from my parents?

[ccsmod1]

Hi again,

We are not legal experts but if you have permission to leave then you would not be considered a runaway. The only way you would be returned home or have other consequences would be if your parent files a runaway report. Again, give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) if you have other questions or want help action planning your options or next steps.

Good luck,

NRS

We hope this response was helpful!  We’d love to hear from you about your experience using our crisis forum.  Your feedback plays an important role in helping us improve our services to youth and families. Please click the link to fill out our survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/we_care_what_you_think