BOSTON – All state employees and contractors should receive "basic training" for interacting with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth, according to a report publicized Thursday that seeks to confront the stubborn problems of violence and homelessness that disproportionately affect certain groups of young people.

So-called LGBTQ youth have been three times as likely as others to be "forced into sexual contact against their will," and they are also three times more likely than others to be "hurt with a weapon at school," according to the report.

Corey Prachniak-Rincon, director of the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Questioning Youth that issued the report, said he does not have an estimate for what the basic training would cost, but he said content has been developed and the training could be conducted online.

The commission also reiterated its recommendation that state agencies encourage employees to voluntarily share their preferred gender pronouns - such as he, she, or the gender-neutral they.

"A lot of people would be amazed how many youth prefer to use gender-neutral pronouns," said Prachniak-Rincon, who goes by the gender-neutral pronouns of they, them and their. 

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