| This site is privately paid for and maintained by Nate Bowen on behalf of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Straight Allies Community of Enid, Oklahoma and is intended to serve as a central source of information for all gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and straight allies within Enid, Oklahoma and the surrounding areas. Last updated: September 5, 2010 |
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- In the United States, more than 34,000 people die by suicide each year
(2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC). - Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds,
accounting for over 12% of deaths in this age group; only accidents and
homicide occur more frequently (2006 National Adolescent Health Information). - Suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses
(2008 CDC). - For every completed suicide by a young person, it is estimated that
100 to 200 attempts are made (2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
Survey). - Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are up to four times more likely to
attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Massachusetts 2007 Youth
Risk Survey). - More than 1/3 of LGB youth report having made a suicide attempt (D’
Augelli AR - Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology 2002) - Nearly half of young transgender people have seriously thought about
taking their lives and one quarter report having made a suicide
attempt (Grossman AH, D’Augelli AR - Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior
2007) - Questioning youth who are less certain of their sexual orientation report
even higher levels of substance abuse and depressed thoughts than
their heterosexual or openly LGBT-identified peers (Poteat VP, Aragon SR, et
al – Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009) - LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are
more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide
than LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection (Ryan C,
Huebner D, et al - Peds 2009;123(1):346-352) - Nine out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced
harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at
school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-
third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month
because of feeling unsafe (2007 GLSEN National School Climate
Survey). - Almost all transgender students had been verbally harassed (e.g.,
called names or threatened in the past year at school because of their sexual
orientation (89%) and gender expression (89%) (2009 GLSEN: Harsh
Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nation’s Schools). - LGBT youth in rural communities and those with lower
adult educational attainment face particularly hostile
school climates (JG, Greytak EA, Diaz EM – Journal of Youth &
Adolescence 2009) - Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents are 190 percent more likely to use
drugs and alcohol than are heterosexual teens (Marshal MP, Friedman MS, et
al – Addiction 2008). - It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all
homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or
transgender (2006 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of
Homelessness). 62% of homeless LGB youth will attempt
suicide at least once—more than two times as many as their
heterosexual peers (Van Leeuwen JMm et al – Child Welfare 2005)
