UPDATED: Rejected By Parents, Homeless Gay Teen Becomes Co-Valedictorian

Seth Owen

UPDATE: Since the LGBTQ media covered Seth's story, the GoFundMe campaign has raised over $111,000 to help Seth in his college journey at Georgetown University. #HappyDance!

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Just about everyone’s senior year of high school is fraught with stress, obstacles and challenges.

But its safe to say most teens don’t have the year Seth Owen just faced.

In the middle of his sophomore year in Jacksonville, Florida, his father decided to take an unapproved dive into his son’s cell phone, and in doing so realized Owen was gay.

His “Christian” parents gave him an ultimatum: submit to so-called “conversion therapy” counseling and attend their anti-LGBTQ church or leave the house.

Speaking to News4Jax, Owen explained, “They made it clear the intention was to make me straight.”

While he continued to live with his parents, Seth found reasons to stay away from home. From after-school programs to swimming, Owen says he felt like he was “doing something good with the struggle instead of doing something damaging.”

When he finally put his foot down about the anti-LGBTQ church, he was forced to move out this past February with no financial or emotional support from his parents.

“I was really, really upset,” Owen shares. “It was extremely hurtful to know that I was walking out that door not knowing what lay ahead and feeling I don’t know how to explain it, it was devastating, absolutely devastating.”

Sleeping on friends couches and holding down jobs to support himself, Owen did what seems almost impossible: he maintained a 4.16 GPA becoming the co-valedictorian of First Coast High School’s class of 2018.

Owen had already been accepted to Georgetown University receiving a $50,000 scholarship. But, the remaining $27,000 of the $77,000 annual tuition was to be covered by his parents.

With no support in sight from his parents, one of Owen’s teachers created a crowd funding campaign to help the 18-year old. (Please hit the link and donate even a small amount).

“I don’t think thank you is good enough,” Owen says. “Of course I am extremely grateful, but I think thank you doesn’t say it. Now it’s time to pay it forward.”

With an inspiring attitude, Owen says he plans to become a defense attorney for neglected teens who find themselves in situations like his.

Watch the report from News4Jax below.

UPDATE: A Georgetown University spokesperson reached out after I published this report with this statement:

“Georgetown University admits and enrolls students without regard to their financial circumstances and is committed to meeting the demonstrated financial need of eligible students through a combination of aid programs that include grants, scholarships, employment and loans from federal, state, private, and University resources. While we cannot comment on any individual case, we work closely with students whose financial circumstances change after admission to modify financial aid assistance and ensure they can still enroll regardless of their ability to pay.”