Gays twice as likely to attempt suicide

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A new study published in this month's American Journal of Public Health shows teenagers with same-sex attractions, or those in gay and lesbian relationships, are twice as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to attempt suicide.

The following is an excerpt from an article printed in the San Francisco Chronicle. Any opinions either stated or suggested are not necessarily those of GLSEN or its members.

Christopher Heredia
Chronicle Staff Writer

At 17, Tracy Peerson was a devout Christian struggling to come to terms with her attraction to other girls.

She isolated herself from her classmates at Antioch High School and didn't talk with her family about her feelings. She became depressed and so despondent that she attempted suicide.

Peerson was hardly alone when she tried to take her own life. A new study published in this month's American Journal of Public Health shows teenagers with same-sex attractions, or those in gay and lesbian relationships, are twice as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to attempt suicide.

"A lot of people knew I was lesbian, but they were silent about it," said Peerson, now 21 and in a relationship with another woman. "I think with a lot of gay teens, you almost feel rejected from your family, school, your religious organization. Some of the time there might be support there, but there's no dialogue."

The gay teen suicide incidence rate in the newly published study is lower than previous research (an oft-cited figure has been that 30 percent of teens who attempt suicide are gay or lesbian), but it is the first study to look at national data.

The report is based upon research gathered from the continuing National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The questions about sexual orientation and suicide, asked in 1995, found that of the 458 youth who reported suicide attempts, 15 percent had a same-sex attraction -- twice the rate for the same proportion of heterosexual teens. Approximately 12,000 adolescent girls and boys participated.

The study recommends improved prevention and intervention efforts that also take into consideration substance abuse, depression and family history of suicide -- all of which researchers found are higher among gay teens.

"It is our hope that this study can put to rest any doubt that while the majority of youth reporting same-sex sexual orientation make it through adolescence with no more problems than heterosexual youth, a significant number are at risk for suicide," said co-author Stephen Russell.

The new data came as no surprise to Crystal Jang, who counsels gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth through the San Francisco Unified School District's Support Services for Sexual Minority Youth.

Jang herself tried to commit suicide as a teenager because of her feelings of being a lesbian. She thinks the number may be higher based on her conversations with teens and the fact that many don't label themselves gay.

Suicide and the GLBT Community



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