This is why I can be so "humorless" about using the GLBT, especially gay men and trans women, as the butt of jokes or as methods of attack against opponents. All of those "jokes" add up and take a toll on people's self-esteem. For all the cries to examine one's white and male privileges, people need to start examining their straight privilege as well as their "contributions" to heterosexism and homophobia and work to battle it. Sporting a rainbow flag is all well and good, but there MUCH more which needs to be done.
•Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24.1
•LGB youth seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth.2
•LGB youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth.2
•Of all the suicide attempts made by youth, LGB youth suicide attempts were almost five times as likely to require medical treatment than those of heterosexual youth.2
•Suicide attempts by LGB youth and questioning youth are 4 to 6 times more likely to result in injury, poisoning, or overdose that requires treatment from a doctor or nurse, compared to their straight peers.2
•In a national study, 40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25.3
•LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection.4
•1 out of 6 students nationwide (grades 9–12) seriously considered suicide in the past year. [5]
•Each episode of LGBT victimization, such as physical or verbal harassment or abuse, increases the likelihood of self-harming behavior by 2.5 times on average.6
SOURCE
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