Warning Signs of Suicide | The Trevor Project

Now that the new year has begun and the festivities are over, it's time to get back to talking about the pressing issues of LGBT bullying, suicide and homelessness.

We present here information from The Trevor Project, one of the nation's leading non-profit organizations for teens that offers many services for LGBTQ teens and others who are struggling with emotional issues surround gender identity, family crisis, bullying and being homeless. That's what this blog is about and the more information I can get out about these socio-economic problems in our society of throw away kids, the better chance I have of saving at least one life.

• 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 (GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009).

• 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 non-LGBT teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year. (GLSEN From Teasing to Torment 2006)

• Sexual minority youth, or teens that identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, are bullied two to three times more than heterosexuals. (Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 2010)

• 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%) (GLSEN: Harsh Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nation’s Schools 2009).

• 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)

I encourage each of you to first, VOTE in the upcoming elections. The results are going to have a direct impact on all social services directed towards youth in crisis, and second, volunteer, give of your money or time to help put an end to these problems.

Welcome to the New Year 2012 -  time to get going!

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