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The Real or Perceived Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Student Protection Project

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SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, August 7, 2001
901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA, 94103
(Fax:415-896-1107 ) (E-Mail: chronletters@sfgate.com )
( http://www.sfgate.com )
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/08/07/MN170191.DTL

More suicide attempts found among gay teens
Study finds rate twice that of straight kids

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.

Kim Westheimer, former director of the Massachusetts Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students, said schools should look at ways to make students feel safe because research has shown that youths who are harassed less are also less likely to attempt suicide.

"More needs to happen in schools, in communities to create safer and more welcoming environments for gay, lesbian and bisexual youth," said Westheimer, who co-wrote a book, "When the Drama Club Is Not Enough," about the Massachusetts program. "They need to know they're not alone. The more we can raise awareness about gay teen suicide, the more we can develop positive interventions."

Russell, a professor of human development at the University of California at Davis, said that while the research delves into a somber area, he is optimistic the results offer a glimmer of hope.

While gay teens are twice as likely to contemplate or attempt suicide as their straight counterparts, the study found that 85 percent of the same-sex- oriented youth never contemplated taking their own lives, Russell said.

"The next step is to look at the kids who are fine and ask what is it that promotes healthy development for gay and lesbian youth," he said.

He recently received a $500,000 grant to do just that.

Peerson said accepting herself as a lesbian improved her self-esteem. She finished therapy and stopped taking anti-depressants. In June, she marched in the Gay Pride parade in San Francisco.

"For some people, being out of the closet can present a lot of risks, but for me it's been a liberation," Peerson said. "I'm no longer jeopardizing the integrity of who I am."

Suicide risk report

In the first national representative study of adolescents (6,254 girls and 5,686 boys) on sexual orientation and suicide, researchers concluded:

Attraction:Approximately 7% reported having same-sex romantic attraction or relationships, with same-sex attraction slightly more common among males than females.

Suicide attempts:Of the 458 youth that reported suicide attempts in the study, those youths reporting same-sex attraction or relationships account for 15% of these attempts - over two times more their proportional representation in the sample.

Risk factors:Alcohol, substance abuse and depression are significantly more common among lesbian, gay and bisexual youth. . Chronicle Graphic

E-mail Christopher Heredia at cheredia@sfchronicle.com
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About American Public health Association, APHA
APHA has been influencing policies and setting priorities in public health for over 125 years. Throughout its history it has been in the forefront of numerous efforts to prevent disease and promote health.

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