Gay and lesbian issues
The purpose of this book was to explain how the Suicides among gay teens have become very common in males, with United States of America being at the receiving end. The author Chuck Stewart who is also a lecturer in Ohio explains how there are many causes that lead to these suicides. Stigma is one of the major causes of high number of suicides because the victims are victimized through various ways whereby the internet turns out to be the major tool of victimization. In 2006, World Health Organization released a report which indicated that over a million people commit suicide every year. According to reliable sources, this number exceeds that of people who die during war. In these deaths, suicides are contained. The truth of the matter is that there is no clear indication of exact figures that show the actual number of victims of gay suicide. This paper therefore reveals investigates and shows how males who disclose their homosexuality statuses are at higher rates of facing suicide missions when they come out during adolescence or adulthood (Chuck S. 2003)
Gay Teens and Attempted Suicide
The purpose of this article is to reveal that the researchers all over the world have established that suicide among gay, lesbian, and bisexual is higher than that of among the general population. The author professor Dale proves that it is because of the institutional homophobia and heterocentric cultures including use of LGBT for political wedge issue such as contemporary efforts to stop legalizing gay marriages. Drug use and depression among the LGBT people have increased at a high speed after discrimination of new laws against gay people were passed. Numerous studies and researches have shown that gay, bisexual and gay youth have higher rate of attempts of suicide than heterosexual youth. According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, has synthesized these studies and it has estimated that between thirty to forty percent of LGB youth have attempted suicide depending on sex and age groups. A government study in US called Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Youth Suicide that was published in 1989 showed that LGBT youth are more than four times likely to commit suicide than other young teenagers. This has led to higher occurrence of suicidal ideation and also overall problems of mental health among gay teenagers when comparing with their heterosexual peers which has attempted to minority stress. Also more than thirty four thousand people die from suicide attempt every year, making it to be the third leading cause of deaths among fifteen to twenty four year olds with bisexual youth, gay and lesbian attempting suicide (O’Leary Dale, 2011)
Suicide Attempts among Gay and Bisexual Men
The author of this article Mr. Paul is a well renowned scholar who reveals that approximately 30% of lesbian, bisexual and gay students and also university employees have undergone sexual harassment because of their sexual orientation. LGBT students are four times higher than non-LGBT students because they are not feeling safe at school. Also 90% of the LGBT students have been assaulted or harassed sexually during the past year. LGBQ students were more likely to leave their learning institution because of discrimination and harassment. Internalized and institutional homophobia may make LGBT youth not to accept themselves and this may lead to have internal conflicts about their orientation. These youths frequently have been kicked out of their parent’s house at early age. Homophobia sometimes can be a pass way to bullying. Severe bullying may lead to the extremities like suicide as it occurred in September 2010. It can either be physically, emotionally, sexual, viral and even racial. Physically bullying in simple terms is punching, kicking while emotional bulling means spreading rumors and other verbal use. Cyber bullying or viral involves use of abusive text messages of the same nature on twitter, Facebook and also other social networks. This method is inappropriate touching, jokes or lewd gestures and racial bullying simply has to do with discrimination and stereotypes (Paul J. 2002)
- Suicide Signs and Prevention
- Substance abuse
- Increased isolation
- Self-depreciating attitudes
- Signs of depression
- Hopelessness expressions
- Giving away valued personal belongings
- Suicidal feelings and thoughts
- Homosexual Urban Legend
The researchers of this article discuss how a psychologist in the United States has published two different studies that expose Homosexuality Urban Legend about teens who commit suicide because of homosexuality feelings. Homosexuality activists also have claimed for more than 10 years that thirty percent of those teens who have attempted suicides are homosexuals. Paul Gibson, a Homosexual social worker wrote in his book “Lesbian Youth and Gay Male” that was published in 1989 that homosexuality people use 30% figure in order to support their social and political agenda. Thirty percent myth have been used several times to convince the public school officials that they establish special clubs to be run by gay teenagers, anti-homophobia/sensitivity training sessions and Promo-homosexual counseling programs to convince students that homosexuality behavior is normal (Traditionalvalue.org. 2010)
Gay adolescents and suicide
Robert Kitts a professor and a researcher at Oxford University wrote an article that explains how several national studies and state have reported that those high school students who tells public that they are bisexually or homosexually active have higher risks of suicide attempts and thoughts in past years compared to youths with heterosexual experience. The experts have not agreed best ways to measure the reports of adolescent suicide attempts or in other words sexual orientation. But they have agreed that efforts should focus on how GLB youth are helped to grow up healthy and how to be successful despite facing many obstacles. Suicide awareness programs have proven futile for youth in general and in that sense have led to increased distress among the youth. This is because teens shouldn’t be exposed to programs that don’t work and also not those programs that may increase risk (Robert Kitts, 2010)
Gay & Bisexual Male Suicide Problems
The aim of this article explains clearly that in Japan, homosexuality is highly stigmatized and is mostly regarded as a source of family and personal shame. Those men who are gay may confront social and interpersonal bias because of their sexual behaviors and sexual orientation. Researchers have suggested that exposure to the anti-homosexual bias may have important public health and psychological consequences. Bisexual and homosexual in male are at risk to mental health problems, like anxiety, depression and emotional distress. High rates of suicide attempt are seen among bisexual and homosexual male compared with heterosexual men. Also, mental health problems in homosexuals are usually related to social prejudice and stigma. A study conducted in the United States found that 38% young homosexual men between the ages of 18 to 19 years have experienced verbal harassment. In the same note 22% of them have experienced discrimination, whereas, 5% have experienced physical violence (Youth-suicide.com, 2009).
Attempted suicide, psychological health and exposure to harassment among Japanese homosexual
The main purpose of this article is to show how some of the few known studies in Japan have examined a well-being psychological of CBQ men. The culture of Japan tends to be conservative about homosexuality which is viewed negatively. Those men who experience tensions psychologically from their homosexual feelings do not identify themselves as being homosexual, and this may be difficult for them to disclose their status to others. Those of them who openly acknowledge being bisexual or homosexual may encounter forms of discrimination like sexual abuse or verbal intimidation. Mental health effects of anti-homosexual bias are heightened in Japanese men because their culture emphasize public honor and it tries as much as possible to avoid shame (Hidaka & Operario, 2006)
Suicide in children and adolescents
The authors of this book gives considerations how gay teen suicides has forced schools and parents to confront issues of anti-gay bullying and vulnerability of gay adolescents. Alone in September 2010, at least 6 youth ended their lives because of relentless stream of taunts by classmates. Tyler Clementi of Rutgers University, committed suicide because his sexual encounter with a different man was all over the internet. Asher Brown aged 13 years and Justin Aaberg killed themselves because of severe harassment from their peers. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention shows that suicide is considered third leading cause of deaths among young people between the ages of 15 to 24. This means that more than five thousand United States young adults and teens kill themselves every year. The Centers for Disease Control also identifies that suicide is the second leading cause of deaths in college campuses (Apter and King 2003).
Suicide & Homosexual Teens
This article by Smith and Drake explains clearly that being perceived as homosexual can worsen stresses of adolescence. Also, the Trevor Project which operates 24/7 reports that homosexual or gay teens are four times or more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual peers. 9 out of 10 teen gay students have mostly experienced sexual harassment in school. Media should also be blamed since it sometimes encourages more gay teens to take their lives. Since isolation is among the worse outcomes f one being bullied, it is important create organizations for emotional bullying. Friends and parents can support gay teens by openly talking about the topic. He also suggests that if there is a family friend or family member who is openly gay, that person should be brought out in a conversation openly in a normal way. A Gullop poll conducted in May 2010 shows that 43% of Americans call gay relations as morally wrong. Parents should always realize and believe that sexual orientation is considered genetic and being gay is not a choice. Stigmatizing somebody for being gay is the same as criticizing them because of having brown hair (Smith and Drake, 2001)
A parent's guide to preventing homosexuality
Nicolosi is a reputable psychologist who has contributed a lot in matters of gay and lesbianism. The main purpose of this article is to show how the advocates have discredited the assumption that one-ninth of the population is gay. Recent polls and studies find that about 1% to 3% of population homosexual. The research further estimated that the proportion held for gay teens may or may not be true. About four thousand four hundred annual teens’ suicides are involved in gay or lesbian teens. There are several policy options that have been proposed to address the issue of homosexuality. There are advocate intervention which shows that youth are suicidal like crisis hotlines, while other advocate programs are directed to increasing gay youth access to other protective factors against suicide. The first proposed option is to provide anti-bullying training and LGBT sensitivity to current high and middle school teachers and counselors. The second proposed policy involves providing incentives for all schools in order to support or create Gay-Straight Alliances dedicated to provide social support network for gay and lesbian students (Nicolosi A. 2002)
Gay & Bisexual Male Suicide Problems
This article by youth-suicide.com shows that gay-teenagers who are self defined are at higher risk to attempt suicide than straight teenagers. Gay activists states that this problem is caused by social homophobia, and has to be remedied when the public agrees for approval on homosexuality. They have disgustingly exaggerated about the number of those gay teenagers who have committed suicide. Researchers like Deisher, Farrow and Remefedi have compared bisexual and gay adolescents who attempt suicide to those who haven’t. They totaled about 138 males aged 16-25, whereby, 35% had attempted at least one suicide (Youth-suicide.com. 2009)
List of References:
Apter and King (2003). Suicide in children and adolescents. New York: Cambridge University Press. 67-123
Chuck Stewart (2003). Gay and lesbian issues. California: ABC-CLIO, Inc. 20-67
Gilbert Kathleen (2011). Study: gay teens five times more likely to attempt suicide. 2-4
Hidaka & Operario (2006). Attempted suicide, psychological health and exposure to harassment among Japanese homosexual, bisexual or other men questioning their sexual orientation recruited via the internet. 1-5
Nicolosi A and Nicolosi J (2002). A parent's guide to preventing homosexuality. Washington D.C: InterVarsity Press.
O’Leary Dale (2011). Gay Teens and Attempted Suicide. 1-3
Paul J. (2002). Suicide Attempts among Gay and Bisexual Men: Lifetime Prevalence and Antecedents. 1-5
Radford Benjamin (2010). Is There a Gay Teen Suicide Epidemic? 1-7
Robert Kitts (2010). Gay adolescents and suicide: understanding the association. 1-4
Smith and Drake (2001).Suicide & Homosexual Teens. 3-9
Traditionalvalue.org (2010). Homosexual Urban Legend: 30% Of Teen Suicide Victims Are Homosexuals. 1-3
Youth-suicide.com (2009).InfoSource: Gay & Bisexual Male Suicide Problems.1-4
