“Our lives are not just about sexuality, it’s about survival” – LGBTQ+ youth advocate

Imagine walking down a street late at night, seeing someone curled up on the pavement, wrapped in a thin blanket, shivering, fighting against the hardships of life because of the hand they were dealt— because of the way they live their sexuality. This was the reality for Jha’asryel-Akquil Bishop. Yet, despite the challenges, he did not succumb to despair. Instead, he channeled his pain into leadership, inspiring others who had experienced similar struggles.
Jha’asryel-Akquil Bishop is a Guyanese-born writer, lived-experience leader and housing-justice advocate whose work spans youth homelessness policy, research, community technology and public storytelling. He first gained recognition in Guyana through youth leadership, volunteerism and creative arts work, including representing Guyana at the 2015 Young Americas Forum ahead of the Seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama. After moving to the United States (US) in 2016 and experiencing homelessness, Bishop became a visible voice in New York’s youth homelessness sector, contributing to major initiatives with Chapin Hall, Streetlives, the New York City (NYC) Continuum of Care, the NYC Fund to End Youth & Family Homelessness, Point Source Youth and the National Youth Forum on Homelessness.
Bishop was forced into homelessness which ultimately led him to seek asylum in the US when his father discovered he was gay and allegedly attempted to harm him. Reflecting on his experience, he gave an insight into the beginning of his hardships faced in life which began directly in his home by his parents.

“So, I was living with my mom. The relationship my mother and I had before I left in 2016 wasn’t healthy. She wasn’t fully in tune with me being gay and having a gay lifestyle. She was very abusive and restrictive about what I could do, where I could go, and who I could hang out with. My father also found out about me being gay and having a relationship with a guy and he attacked me. That guy and I are still friends. My father had threatened to kill me, so I fled the country.” The trauma of fleeing introduced new challenges, making it difficult for him to navigate a place he had never known.
“I was experiencing homelessness before I left the country as well. Because of my mom’s behaviour at the time, I stayed at friends’ houses in Georgetown before leaving. My father was also a source of danger during that time. These are people I’m still connected to and you can interview them if needed. I went to the United States, but before that I was also physically abused and bullied in my neighbourhood and at school. I was called names and it was difficult. Most of this has changed now.” Despite these hardships, he forged a new path in the US trying to find his path once again despite the struggles he had to endure.
“Growing up, I dealt with a lot of trauma that didn’t change. I needed a different space to exist and navigate. When I went to the US, the distance helped improve my relationship with my mom. She did her own research to understand me better while I was away for 10 years.”
Now at the age of 30, their relationship is much stronger. “Our relationship is much better. I can talk to her about sex, relationships and my sexuality. There is much more acceptance and affirmation.” Bishop also revealed that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis, all stemming from the trauma he experienced growing up. In the US, he redirected his energy toward advocacy and social work. “My community back home felt foreign to me in New York. I didn’t feel I could naturally effect change there. But I participated in the Continuum of Care leadership, a body of organisations addressing homelessness in NYC. I ran for a chair seat and was elected, becoming part of local Government work at the community level.” But a time of uncertainty, he faces additional challenges as an immigrant and foreigner.
“People were apprehensive because I was a foreigner in the room. They felt I didn’t have full context of their community. To overcome this, I spent a lot of time in social service work and social justice movements.” Bishop explained that navigating life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community requires balancing authenticity with safety. He noted that while being true to oneself is important, strategic consideration is necessary when sharing one’s identity, as survival and securing stable housing often take precedence. “It’s complicated. You have to deal with ingrained mindsets in your parents and community. Safety and stability must come first. Being yourself is important, but you also need to be strategic about when and how to share your truth. Our lives aren’t just about our sexuality—they’re about survival and making sure we have a place to live.”