Utah has its own Lost Boys, and needs to address the problem before it gets even worse than it is now. Fortunately, there’s some group homes that help them with life-skills, because some of these kids have never thought for themselves, never had a bank account, never owned a car, never worked at a job for anyone where they got paid a normal wage, never voted, never thought about going to collage or having a career. The programs need more funding, of course, something that Utah’s not very good at unless it’s shamed into it by one of its not-that-rare progressive legislators. Wish this guy luck.
Salt Lake Tribune – Lost Boys: State needs to help FLDS refugees
They call them the “Lost Boys,” the mostly male refugees from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They grow up in the twin polygamist towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., where young girls often have been married off to older men, and many young males reportedly are deemed expendable.
   Some are turned out by their parents, with encouragement from the church, for violating the sect’s strict rules regarding dress, movies, music, substance abuse and fraternizing with girls. Others are turned off by their religion, and leave voluntarily.
   Either way, they’re alone in a world they find difficult to navigate, or even comprehend. Undereducated, unsupervised and ill-prepared, many of the Lost Boys become delinquent, or turn to drugs and alcohol. They need all the help they can get.