Suicide within the LGBTQQI Community

Family Stories in Ministry Dr. Pak Son Devin Berry November 7, 2011

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Introduction In 1987, Harvey Milk, the American politician who was originally known as the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the state of California, and became a face for gay rights activism delivered his famed Hope Speech where he was quoted as saying And you and you and you, you have to give people hope. Unfortunately, Milks comments seem to be forgotten. We are living in a society where all too often it feels as if there is no hope, and this seems to especially hold true to the LGBTQQI (those who self-identify with the social categories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, or intersex)1 community, the same community that Milk represented. In the last few years, there has been an epidemic of LGBTQ young people taking their own lives, in part due to the bullying and harassment they face because of their sexual orientation. Primarily in America, but also internationally the media has had to cover suicide after suicide of youth, mainly ages 13-18, and mainly young gay men because they could no longer cope with the harassment and felt they had nowhere else to turn. Schools, families, and churches, which should serve as a support network, have failed to support these young people in their time of crisis. As a church, we have a moral, ethical, and biblical responsibility to these youth and yet we have continued to not only fall short but all too often perpetuate and encourage the problem. Social networking, social media, and the internet are making it increasingly easier to harass and bully children. Whereas before it was more likely that I bully would have to face their
1

Sears, James T. Youth, Education, and Sexualities: An International Encyclopedia, Volume Two K-Z. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005.

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victim, in order to torment them, the bully and safely hidden behind a computer screen where they can anonymously send their victim messages. Because of the anonymity that the bully is afforded through social media sites like Tumblr, their taunts are increasingly more violent and direct. Simply calling someone names no longer suffices, instead the bully goes straight to instructing their victim to kill themselves. Additionally, our increased technology provides additional platforms for victimization. Perhaps one of the most publicized cases, Rutgers student Tyler Clementi, who jumped off a bridge after his roommate broadcast his sexual encounter with another man online.2 A large cause of the current epidemic is the fact that homosexuality and any nonheteronormative behaviors are viewed in a negative light. Any actions that are viewed to not be in alignment with the gender that someone is born as or perceived as is considered abnormal. To some these behaviors are viewed as threatening and therefore those that are different are ostracized and in some contexts tormented. The lives of LGBTQ teenagers would be immensely different if we did not view homosexuality as an issue. Those that identify as LGBTQ do not merely decide to commit suicide one day. They are forced to live lives filled with self-hatred, guilt, and depression. Like everyone else, they are heavily influenced by the social systems around them, including their family system. All too often, they are also forced to be the vessel for which the emotions (shame) of the family are placed. The church should be a place of refuge. Too often, LGBTQ teens are finding that it is only a place of further persecution and the place that families and classmates find the backing for
2

It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living." Edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, 11. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

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their taunts and cruelty. The church should be providing support to victims. The church should be reinforcing the notion that all are welcome. As I begin this paper and attempt to analyze the current epidemic of suicide within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer community and our role as the church, I am discouraged as my screen is filled with new stories of yet another young gay teen that has ended his life this week. Jamie Hubley, a 15 year old openly gay boy, is the latest name to be added to the list of young lives cut too short within the LGBTQ community. Statistics Suicide, on the grand scale, is something that must not be ignored. It is a problem that affects most communities, regardless of race, socioeconomic class, gender, or creed. However, there are many groups that have higher instances of suicide than other groups. Every year, suicide claims the lives of more than 800,000 people worldwide and about 32,000 people in the United States alone.3 With the number of people in this country and throughout the world, it would be assumed that a plethora of research is being conducted on this topic. However, in spite of the fact that suicide is the third leading cause of death for people 15 to 24 years old, with more than 4,000 youth dying from suicide each year4 there is still so much that is unknown about suicide. These numbers are also only those that are able to accomplish their goals. These statistics fail to take into consideration everyone that attempts suicide but are unable to accomplish it.

Peden, M., McGee, K., & Krug, E. (Eds.). (2002). Injury: A leading cause of the global burden of disease, 2000. Geneva: World Health Organization. 4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Retrieved October 20, 2011 from http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/

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Due to the recent wave of LGBTQ suicides, further attention is being put into looking at statics involving suicide within the community. Previous studies have shown that 28.1 percent of gay or bisexual males in grades 7 through 12 had attempted suicide at least once in their lives, while only 4.2 percent of heterosexual males in those grades had attempted suicide. The corresponding percentages for females were 20.5 percent for lesbian or bisexual females and 14.5 percent for heterosexual females.5 The statistics clearly show a higher number of LGB preteens and teenagers committing suicide than their heterosexually identifying peers. A study conducted by the Department of Education in the state of Massachusetts revealed that those who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual are not the only ones that have an increased rate of considering suicide. If teens reported having any same-sex sexual contact their rate of considering suicide is greatly increased even if they do not self-identify as LGBTQ. Whether they have had one same-sex experience, are experimenting, or are in fact Lesbian, gay or bisexual does not matter; their risk of suicide is still increase drastically. These teenagers are three times more likely to seriously consider suicide than their heterosexual peers (34 percent compared to 11 percent).6 Bullying in School A portion of the problem stems from harassment and bullying that takes place in schools. As much as the media would like to ignore it at times, middle schools, high schools, and even colleges provide a venue for sexuality based bullying. LGBTQ youth reporting higher levels of

Remafedi, G., French, S., Story, M., Resnick, M.D.., & Blum, R. (1998). The Relationship Between Suicide Risk and Sexual Orientation: Results of a Population-based Study. American Journal of Public Health, 8857-60. 6 Massachusetts Department of Education. (2006b). Suicidality and self-inflicted injury. In Massachusetts Department of Education, 2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey results. Malden, MA: Author. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/05/ch6.doc

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at-school bullying and victimization report higher levels of substance use, suicidal thoughts, feelings and actions, as well as engaging in increased risky behaviors than their heterosexual peers and/or those who are not bullied because of their sexual orientation.7 School is where children are meant to make friends and learn how to embrace their individuality within society and yet if they show signs that they are slightly different their experience can be transformed into something entirely negative. The bullying, harassment and even victimization of LGBTQ youth appears at many if not most schools, both public and private. The levels of the harassment differs greatly by school and from person to person but LGBT students are three times as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel safe at school (22% vs. 7%) and 90% of LGBT students (vs. 62% of nonLGBT teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year.8 Often in progresses from verbal bullying and harassment to a place where LGBTQ youth no longer feel safe at school, 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.9 This does not only happen at the secondary school level. Studies are being done on students as young as kindergarten that show bullying based on sexual orientation. Some boys how signs of effeminate behavior at very young ages and therefore become victims early on. Those who expressed a transgender identity or gender nonBontempo, D. E. & DAugelli, A. R. (2002). Effects of at-school victimization and sexual orientation on lesbian, gay, or bisexual youths health risk behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30, 364-374. 8 GLSEN (2006). From Teasing To Torment: A Report on School Climate in Pennsylvania. New York: GLSEN 9 Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Diaz, E. M., and Bartkiewicz, M. J. (2010). The 2009 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in our nations schools. New York: GLSEN.
7

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conformity while in grades K-12 reported alarming rates of harassment (78%), physical assault (35%) and sexual violence (12%).10 Bullying over sexual orientation or perceived sexuality is prevalent at the post-secondary level as well. Many youth think that they will escape the bullying when they go to college and this is unfortunately not always true. Approximately 25 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual students and university employees have been harassed due to their sexual orientation, as well as a third of those who identify as transgender. Additionally the harassment is not always coming solely from class mates and peers. More than half (51%) of respondents who were harassed, physically or sexually assaulted, or expelled because of their gender identity/expression reported having attempted suicide. Of those who were physically assaulted by teachers/staff or students, 64% reported having attempted suicide. Three-quarters (76%) of those who were assaulted by teachers or staff reported having attempted suicide. 11 Teachers, who are meant to be protective and supportive of their students, are often the ones that either initiate or encourage the harassment of LGBTQ students. Middle school, high school, and college students are able to continue their bullying even after they have left school for the day. In our current age of technological advancements, bullying is becoming increasingly easier and easier. Numerous social networking sites can be utilized to continue the bullying started in school, and in many cases make the bullying worse. Some sites provide the aggressor with a sense of anonymity and it is much easier to bully when you are not being held accountable for your actions.

10

Grant, Jaime M., Lisa A. Mottet, Justin Tanis, Jack Harrison, Jody L. Herman, and Mara Keisling. Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011 11 Ibid.

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One social media site, Tumblr, allows its users to set up microblogging accounts. The purpose is to reblog and post things that are relevant to the life of the blogger. However, one feature of a Tumblr blog is the ask box where other users are able to ask questions of the blogger. Users are also given the option of asking questions anonymously, which creates many problems. All too often, it is not questions that are posed but rather people telling the blogger to kill them self. Things submitted to ask boxes are aggressive and oft very detailed. Because of the anonymous feature they are not held accountable for their words and the pain that their words can cause. Dan Savage, and his partner Terry Miller edited and compiled a book of stories by members of the LGBTQ community and allies and many of the stories written by younger contributors speak of the pain that is attributed to social media. Laurel Slongwhite writes about an experience of one student saying, If youre too stupid to know how to kill yourself, I can offer you some suggestions.12 For many LGBTQ youth, the internet serves as an outlet. It becomes a place where they can say things that they want to say either in school or to their families but cannot, for one reason or another. LGBT youth rely on the Internet and related technologies to a greater degree than their peers in order to find an accepting peer group and social support.13 For some, in more isolated communities, social network on the internet is the first time that they come to realize that there are people out there like them and that they are not alone. To have this ruined by further bullying and harassment is detrimental.

12

It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living." Edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, 11. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 13 Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (2008). Suicide risk and prevention for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Newton, MA: Education Development Center, Inc.

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Church Many of the words that lead LGBTQ youth to commit suicide come from the places that they should feel the most accepted. Many people find justification for their words and taunts rooted in the church. there continues to be a stigma to being gay, promoted by religious conservatives and expressed along a continuum from negative verbal stereotyping and abuse (faggot) to social isolation to outright physical abuse (gay bashing). For those still in the closet, the recognition and self-identification of ones homosexuality is laden with loneliness, anxiety, and confusion. In their families, many emerging gay youth anticipate rejection as well, prompting an internalization of these negative societal attitudes.14 Especially for those who come from religious communities and have relied on the church throughout their lives, it is difficult to hear that everything about you is wrong. The church has been known throughout history for altering a societys views on a matter and dictating what is appropriate. This is particularly true with homosexuality where Homosexuality was an accepted behavior in ancient Africa and continued to be until the arrival of Europeans on the continent. Women in Lesotho engaged in socially approved long-term relationships called motsoalle. Male Azande warriors in the northern Congo routinely took young male sexual mates between the ages of twelve and twenty, who helped their older husbands with household tasks.15 All of these cultures where accepting of homosexuality and in some instances encouraged it until the Christian missionaries arrived in their country.

14

Comprehensive textbook of suicidology By Ronald W. Maris, Alan Lee Berman, Morton M. Silverman, Bruce Michael Bongar pg 158 15 The Gallups Guide to Modern Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Lifestyle. Statistical Timeline and Overview of Gay Life. Zachary Chastain. Mason Crest Publishers. Broomall, PA. 2011

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All too often mental health professionals and religious leaders psychopathologize sexual minority youth and continue their victimization instead of protesting this widespread social injustice.16 Instead of treating sexual minority youth as Children of God, many religious leaders treat them as less than worthy of Gods love and when fellow church members observe the actions of their religious leaders they copy those behaviors. The Christian churches are not the only religious institutions that demonstrate these behaviors. Members of the Islamic and Jewish communities have also reported feelings of isolation and ostracism from their religious communities because of sexual orientation. A group of Jewish contributors to Savage and Millers book write that The only time I ever heard the word gay, was when I heard the rabbi speak about the terrible gays and the gay agenda and how theyre an anathema against the torah and Judaism.17 Many LGBTQ youth of all of the Abrahamic faiths are told to pray to God to take this defect away from them. I remember hearing so much in school and in church about praying. That if I just prayed, it would go away. So at night I would pray so hard, and I would cry, just asking for these feelings to go away.18 Faith systems but even further pressure and senses of isolation upon their young LGBTQ members which often leads to suicidal ideation. In Leroy Aarons book, Prayers for Bobby: A Mothers Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son, it is quite evident that the feelings placed upon Bobby by the church are a direct cause of his decision to take his own life. Bobby was repeatedly told that what he was feeling was wrong and that he was going to hell for being gay. Like many other LGBTQ Christians, he
16

Queer Youth: In the Province of the Severely Normal. Gloria Filax. UBC Press. Vancouver, BC, Canada. 2006. 17 It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living." Edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, 49. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 18 Ibid, 68

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was instructed by those in his life to pray away his gay and got into numerous fights with God because of his inability to do so. The church and the religious leaders in his life taught him to feel guilty about whom he was as a person. Even his funeral was a clear picture of how unsupportive his community was. For Bobbys funeral, in his eulogy, the Pastor of Bobbys church took the orthodox Presbyterian position that holds homosexuality to be a sin: out of deep frustration disillusioned, yet feeling trapped in the gay lifestyle Bobby had chosen to end his life. The good news was that Bobby had accepted Christ, and despite the sins of homosexuality and suicide, nothing can separate the true Christian from the love of God.19 As the pastor of a family who had just lost their son, the eulogy was not necessarily the most appropriate place to reference the opinion that homosexuality is a sin. Due to the harsher views of many people it is assumed that all of Christianity and all Christians hold a negative and critical view point of homosexuality. The church often fails to respond to bullying. Additionally there tends to also not be a response after a young person has taken their own life unless it is from a point of condemnation. Many instead believe Religion, in general, whatever name it may have, says that if you are gay, you are going to hell; God hates fags. If you have a disease like AIDS, or if anything else happens to you, its all punishment by God.20 Many LGBTQ youth who take their own lives have been subjected to some sort of reparative therapy to cure them of their homosexuality, prior to their suicide attempt. Attempts to change sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual are rooted in the belief that
Aarons, Leroy. Prayers for Bobby: A Mothers Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay So n. New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 19 95. 20 Dorais, Micahel, and Simon Louis Lajeunesse. Dead Boys Can't Dance: Sexual Orientation, Masculinity, and Suicid e. Quebec, Canada: McGill -Queen's University Press, 2004.
19

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homosexuality is pathologic and maladaptive. However, homosexuality was declassified as a mental illness more than 20 years ago by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and no professional mental health associations support reparative therapy.21 Though no mental health associations continue to support reparative therapy, reparative therapy is still used on a regular basis in some places. There are camps that parents send their children to in order to correct their childs behaviors and sexual orientation and there are clinics that people can check into that are meant to do the same. However, Reparative therapy ignores the impact of social stigma on the mental health of lesbians and gay men and focuses exclusively on homosexuality as the root cause of distress.22 Sadly many of these centers are set up and operated by different denominations and churches. Family Systems Many LGBTQ youth that commit suicide come from unsupportive families. When those that are supposed to love you and help you through life are judgmental because of your orientation it can be one of the hardest obstacles to overcome. Given the myriad of risk factors listed for suicide in mainstream youth studies, it is truly astonishing that there is no mention of the impact of non-conforming sexuality. What perhaps is the most poignant about this absence is that the biggest risk factor for suicide by queer youth may well be living within a heterosexist and homophobic family and culture.23 All too often queer youth are totally whether verbally or through action that they are unwanted and that they should not exist. The family frequently has a collective shame over the sexuality of their child. Parents view this as their own personal flaw or
21

Lesbian and Gay Youth: Care and Counseling Caitlin Ryans and Donna Futterman. 1998 Columbia University Press 22 Ibid. 23 Queer Youth: In the Province of the Severely Normal. Gloria Filax. UBC Press. Vancouver, BC, Canada. 2006.

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take to blaming one another. The LGBTQ child can not only suffer from their own emotions of shame or guilt, but also serves as the container for the shame and guilt of other family members. As victims of heterosexism and homophobia, young homosexual individuals often feel overwhelmingly guilty for being who they are. If they are also thinking of ending their lives, they know they will be failing doubly in meeting the expectations of those closest to them, especially their parents. Parents in turn may feel doubly shamed: for having a homosexual son, and for having a suicidal son. These young men are twice not like everyone else, meaning not normal in the eyes of others. As a result, their families are usually silent for fear of also being stigmatized.24 Those that are rejected by their families have an even higher risk of suicide than those that a merely bullied or harassed. The family structure that one is born into is intended to be the support system but when rejected by that support system many people self-destruct. Attempts were more frequent among youth who came out at younger ages, who were rejected because of their sexual orientation, who were transgendered, and who were ejected from their homes. Among lesbians, attempts occurred twice as often in victims of child sexual abuse, rape, and anti-gay violence.25 In the Griffith family, other behaviors were tolerated and encouraged as long as they were not Bobbys homosexual behaviors. Another irony unrecognized by anyone in the family was the contrast between the way the family embraced Joys endless efforts to snare young George and its disapproving response to Bobbys adolescent explorations.26 The Griffith family

24

Dorais, Micahel, and Simon Louis Lajeunesse. Dead Boys Can't Dance: Sexual Orientation, Masculinity, and Suicid e. Quebec, Canada: McGill -Queen's University Press, 2004. 25 Bradford JB, Ryan CC: The National Lesbian Health Care Survery. {unpublished data, 1987.} 26 Aarons, Leroy. Prayers for Bobby: A Mothers Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay So n. New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 19 95.

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had strains on relationships due to certain family members being unable to understand or tolerate Bobbys homosexuality. Role of the Church Writer and poet Audre Lorde once wrote that My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences. 27 This is something that can be directly applied to the churchs role in LGBTQ suicide. By being silent about the bullying or harassment that LGBTQ youth endure the church causes nothing positive to occur. It only perpetuates and in ways encourages the problem. Because of the alienation from the church that many queer youth feel they lack role models, mentors or trustworthy adults in the church and this is something that needs to be changed. Gay kids trapped in middle and high school would benefit from hearing from LGBT adults-lives could be saved-but very few middle or high schools would invite gay adults to address the student bodies. Perhaps it is the church that can open the doors to acceptance and welcome. Many denominations are working towards being more accepting and affirming, they are on the right path, but it needs to be expedited. Pastors need to figure out ways to reach out to the queer youth and show them that not all Christians are the close-minded ones they have come to know. Churches are being established in urban areas to reach out to members of the LGBTQ community until such a time that these churches are no longer needed. These homophile

27

Lorde, Audre. The Cancer Journal s. Aunt Lute Books, 1995 .

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Churches conceive of themselves as interim communities, necessary as long as the heterosexual Church communities are incapable of receiving, or unwilling to receive, the homosexual while respecting his life-style. The Metropolitan Community Church, for example, claims that it is working toward the day when it can close its doors because the other Christian communities with love and understanding have opened theirs to gay people.28 If pastors were to integrate members of the community into their congregations the need for homophile congregations would diminish, the number of people feeling ostracized would be diminished and hopefully, by default, the number of LGBTQ taking their own lives will diminish as well. Conclusions Youth studies does not provide any information on queer youth and suicide. Tidy little boxes in textbooks list a variety of warning signs for youth at risk, but sexual identity is not one of them. This absence is glaring, given the information available on gay youth suicide. One Alberta study found that gay youth are fourteen times more likely to commit suicide than those from any other group.29 Many researchers are neglecting to examine the sexual orientation aspect of youth suicide. Those that have examined this issue have seen the drastic percentage differences between LGBTQ youth and their heterosexual peers in suicide statistics. Furthermore there is clear evidence that nearly all LGBTQ youth who commit suicide or attempt suicide have been bullied and harassed at school and/or online and have been rejected and alienated by their

28

McNeil, John J. The Church and the Homosexua l. Boston: Beacon Press Books, 1993. 29 Bagley, C., and P. Tremblay. 1997. the Great Taboo: Gay Youth and Suicide. Times. 10 4:5-6

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religious community or family system. A bullied gay teenager who ends his life is saying that he cant picture a future with enough joy in it to compensate for the pain he is in now.30 In order to end the current epidemic of suicide within the LGBTQQI community it is going to take work. Children need to be taught that bullying on any level is unacceptable, but especially because of sexual orientation or non-gender normative behaviors. Families are going to need to learn to understand homosexuality and that their child or family member is not defective simply because they do not fit into the mold society has set for them. The media also has the potential for promoting a culture more accepting of sexual and gender diversity. Churches need to examine their doctrine and what their definition of welcoming truly is. If all of these factors were to combine we would hopefully not have thousands upon thousands of LGBTQQI youth like Booby Griffith taking their own lives as their only way to end their pain.

30

It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living." Edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, 49. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

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Works Cited 1. A a r o n s , L e r o y. Prayers for Bobby: A Mothers Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son. N e w Y o r k : H a r p e r C o l l i n s P u b l i s h i n g , 1 9 9 5 . 2. Bagley, C., and P. Tremblay. 1997. the Great Taboo: Gay Youth and Suicide. Times. 10 4:5-6 3. Bontempo, D. E. & DAugelli, A. R. (2002). Effects of at-school victimization and sexual orientation on lesbian, gay, or bisexual youths health risk behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30, 364-374. 4. Bradford JB, Ryan CC: The National Lesbian Health Care Survery. {unpublished data, 1987.} 5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). Web-based Injury Statistics Query and 6. Reporting System (WISQARS). Retrieved October 20, 2011 from http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/ 7. Comprehensive textbook of suicidology By Ronald W. Maris, Alan Lee Berman, Morton M. Silverman, Bruce Michael Bongar pg 158 8. D o r a i s , M i c a h e l , a n d S i m o n L o u i s L a j e u n e s s e . Dead Boys Can't Dance: Sexual Orientation, Masculinity, and Suicide. Q u e b e c , C a n a d a : M c G i l l - Q u e e n ' s University Press, 20 04. 9. GLSEN (2006). From Teasing To Torment: A Report on School Climate in Pennsylvania. 10. New York: GLSEN 11. Grant, Jaime M., Lisa A. Mottet, Justin Tanis, Jack Harrison, Jody L. Herman, and Mara Keisling. Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey. Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011 12. It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living." Edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, 11. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 13. Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Diaz, E. M., and Bartkiewicz, M. J. (2010). The 2009 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in our nations schools. New York: GLSEN. 14. Lesbian and Gay Youth: Care and Counseling Caitlin Ryans and Donna Futterman. 1998 Columbia University Press 15. L o r d e , A u d r e . The Cancer Journals. A u n t L u t e B o o k s , 1 9 9 5 16. Massachusetts Department of Education. (2006b). Suicidality and self-inflicted injury. In Massachusetts Department of Education, 2005 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey results. Malden, MA, from http://www.doe.mass.edu/cnp/hprograms/yrbs/05/ch6.doc

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17. M c N e i l , J o h n J . The Church and the Homosexual. B o s t o n : B e a c o n P r e s s Books, 1993. 18. Peden, M., McGee, K., & Krug, E. (Eds.). (2002). Injury: A leading cause of the global burden of disease, 2000. Geneva: World Health Organization. 19. Queer Youth: In the Province of the Severely Normal. Gloria Filax. UBC Press. Vancouver, BC, Canada. 2006. 20. Remafedi, G., French, S., Story, M., Resnick, M.D.., & Blum, R. (1998). The Relationship Between Suicide Risk and Sexual Orientation: Results of a Populationbased Study. American Journal of Public Health, 8857-60. 21. Sears, James T. Youth, Education, and Sexualities: An International Encyclopedia, Volume Two K-Z. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005. 22. Suicide Prevention Resource Center. (2008). Suicide risk and prevention for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Newton, MA: Education Development Center, Inc. 23. The Gallups Guide to Modern Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Lifestyle. Statistical Timeline and Overview of Gay Life. Zachary Chastain. Mason Crest Publishers. Broomall, PA. 2011