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USA: - In August, 1999, a 31-year-old female informant who moved to Georgia in 1998 wrote: "In case you're wondering why I am intrigued by this subject matter - I, myself, have lost 3 male friends to suicide and personally contemplated the act seriously after the death of my best friend in 1994. Mike K. (CA, grew up upstate NY) was 22, a Navy Seal.. his folks refused to even consider the possibility of his homosexual tendencies. John V. (St. Louis, MO) was 26, "out," and an active member in a local gay group... John F. was 25, an accomplished artist/carpenter... (OH when he died, originally from upstate NY) It was suspected that John loved Sean and had been rejected by him... - An American Grade 9 boy commits suicide at school. Only two individuals knew he was gay and they did not reveal the boy's secret: Dead Gay Kids Don't Talk, but.... Adolescent Sexual Orientation and Suicide Risk: Evidence From a National Study (Full Text). - AMA Hopes to Reduce Suicide Among Gay Youth. - Miguel's Story (Must Scroll): "I met Miguel when he was seventeen years old and shortly after his third suicide attempt. His story is all too familiar amongst gay and lesbian youth that find themselves in a world of exclusion, heartless ridicule and vicious abuse..." - Victimization for sexual orientation increases suicidal behavior in college students.

Rev. Peter Lau (Sacramento): "And simply because he discovered that he was a homosexual person, he committed suicide. I believe he's an Asian. Knowing that, coming from an Asian background, I understand the kind of pressure that this kind of -- I would say, something unbelievable, unbelievable that something like this can happen to him and he just cannot accept that. And then I believe later I read similar news like that as another young person committed suicide because of that. Then I began to say to God that there must be another way to deal with this. We cannot just let people commit suicide because they discover that they are homosexual people." - Some of the people FUAH has supported and worked with: a mother whose lesbian daughter committed suicide. 

USA: - Suicide of a Washington bisexual youth, May, 1995. - Gay suicide after becoming part of a gay community. - At the age of 17, Tom Beddingfield  attempted suicide soon after his boyfriend had committed suicide. - Young, gay and scared to death at school (CNN).

USA: - Teen turns to suicide to end nonstop torment (Robbie Kirkland). - The Robbie Kirkland Suicide Story. - Robbie Kirkland "Remember Me!" - Robbie Kirkland Memonial. - Robbie's Story: How A Fragile 14-Year-Old Boy Was Crushed In His Struggle To Accept Being Gay. - A Mother Speaks Out.

USA: - Just the facts: on gay, lesbian, and bisexual students and schools [a place of abuse] made available by GLSTN. (Alternate Link) - A 16-year-old Miami Gay school dropout: "I would go to gay bars because it was the only place I could find community. I was feeling stupid and with no future. I did a lot of drugs. I tried to commit suicide twice."

USA: - The first openly gay (newly graduated) police officer in Philadelphia - Thomas G. Kalt Jr. - commits suicide (January, 1998) at the age of 26 (Must Scroll).  - Death of Philadelphia Policeman Spurs Coverage of the Blue Closet..- Philadelphia: First Gay Cop Recruit is Suicide. 

USA - From the Past: Sandy Tipper, the author of Exodus: Coming out as a faith journey, reports on his two suicide attempts: religious beliefs are implicated. - The well known gay author and activist, Larry Kramer, attempted suicide in 1953 when he was at Yale University. - The founder of the Metropolitan Community Church, Troy Perry, attempted suicide after being deserted by his lover. (Related Information: 1, 2, 3) - Brian McNaught, the godfather of gay sensitivity training, attempted suicide. - Suicide Attempters & Completers were not uncommon for GB male students at Harvard University. Examples given. - American born film director reports having been thrown out of house at age 18, working as a prostitute throughout the U.S., "and ended up in a psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt N/A." - George Whitmore: Whitmore wrote of his own three attempts at suicide, the first when he was only seventeen. In one attempt, he overdosed on drugs prescribed to "calm" him. Suicide was something, he says, that he applied himself to "with dedication... Like so many others. I was doing everything I could not to come to terms with an identity. I'd been carefully taught to abhor."  Drugs, suicide attempts, and risky sex (Not Available).

USA: Utah: - "I am glad to hear that Earl Cherry and Jeana Berube will be making a video to help prevent youth suicides in Utah." - (Salt Lake Tribune, June 7, 1998) - "But unlike KUED's local program on the problem a while back, this video will hopefully address the suicide risk for gay and bisexual youth - the highest for all risk groups." - Jacob Orosco commits suicide. - Matis wrote in his suicide note, which was read at the memorial, that he first realized he was gay at age 7. - "I could be your son": Letter by gay youth in Salt Lake Tribune - reporting more than 4 suicide attempts. - Despite small introads of tolerance, harassment of young gays and lesbians continues in public high schools.

USA Mormon Church / University History - An ongoing problem.  From the 1997 lecture, "Private Pain, Public Purges: A History of Homosexuality at Brigham Young University," delivered by Connell O'Donovan in 1997 at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "In this 1975 article, McQueen reported that five Gay men he had known at BYU had gotten caught in the Purge of '75, were coerced into therapy, expelled from BYU, outed by church officials, and then excommunicated. Rather than face the bigotry of family, friends, church, and state, each one committed suicide.[17] Another man who was caught in that purge remembers that a BYU professor shot and killed himself that year after being entrapped at a local off campus restroom.[18] Local police and other agencies as well got involved in the purge as it spilled over into 1976. Another male student, after being arrested at a highway reststop (known affectionately as the Blow-n-Go), took a bottle of aspirin to kill himself. He was taken to Utah Valley Hospital where the medical personnel there recognized the suicide attempt and contacted BYU Security immediately. BYU Security, who had a file on him because of his arrest at the rest stop, then outed the man to his bishop and wife. - Legacies, a documentary by Sean Weakland: "We had several people who committed suicide during the therapy. We had three different people who hung themselves in the Harris Fine Arts Center on BYU campus. In Mormon theology, you will be eternally punished for committing suicide. If you die as a homosexual, you will be punished all the worse."

Gay Mormon hoped suicide would help change church (February, 2000): "In the note Matis urges his parents to use his death to teach other church members and church leaders 'the true nature of homosexuality.' ...'I implore the students at BYU to re-assess their homophobic feelings. Seek to understand first before you make comments. We have the same needs as you. We desire to love and be loved. We desire to live our lives with happiness. We are not a threat to you or your families. We are your sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, neighbors, co-workers and friends, and most importantly, we are all children of God,' he wrote in the letter to the Daily Universe." - Affirmation - Virtual Memorial for Gay Mormon Suicides. - Queer Mormons - Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

Aaron's Story: "Back at Church, the word got out that I was homosexual. I was not longer allowed to be around children, prepare sacraments, or pray though I had done nothing wrong. People became scared of me, and longtime friends refused to associate any longer. The psychiatrist at this point told me to try electroshock therapy. He said in severe cases it was the only way. I refused. The Church excommunicated me at this point. Even though they knew I had done nothing sexual, they put me on trial and questioned me. I was shocked—they probed me with sexual questions of things I had never heard of. I was kicked out forever with a letter and warning that said I was outside the Church's reach. Because I once held the priesthood, I now was a candidate for Outer Darkness. I then came out, 7 years ago. I am so glad I have. My life is so much better than ever before. I no longer struggle with my sexuality because I know who I am. Sadly, a friend who was in the same exgay program committed suicide after 2 years of electroshock. He had burns on his arms where they would shock him for showing sexual response to pictures. They even had him get married and have children to prove his straightness. Instead, he was visiting parks and alleys for sex. He injected himself with drugs and left behind two beautiful young daughters. I could have been him."

Living Outside the Lines: A Story of Personal Discovery and Self-Acceptance: "John's suicide brought clarity to my life and convinced me that it was time to stop waffling. How many more Johns were out there? How many Janes? I knew there were others in the world just like me who struggled to fit in but did not know how to. They needed to know that they were not the only ones. I had an ethical responsibility to come out and to live my life openly. If John had known there were others like him, perhaps he would have opted to talk instead of taking his life. It was too late for John but I could do something for others, starting with myself. I was afraid, but my fear was irrelevant. I had to move forward, come out of the closet, and make a difference in the world."

USA - A Three-Part Examination of GLB Suicide Problems by Outlines Magazine - Suicide A Community Epidemic, A Community Solution. Part One: Death and dropout of gay and lesbian teens blights America's school system. - High School Confidential. Part Two: Suicide and Depression Among High School Age Gay and Lesbian Youth. -  Part Three: The Grown Ups.

USA - In the case of Jamie Nabozny, now 21, the epithets began in 7th grade and escalated into a daily routine of homophobic abuse that led him to attempt suicide twice and to drop out of high school in his junior year.  (Information related to Jamie Nabozny.) - Nabozny v. Podlesny - U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit: "Toward the end of the school year, the harassment against Nabozny intensified to the point that a district attorney purportedly advised Nabozny to take time off from school. Nabozny took one and a half weeks off from school. When he returned, the harassment resumed, driving Nabozny to attempt suicide. After a stint in a hospital, Nabozny finished his eighth grade year in a Catholic school..." - Who's at Risk? Gay and Lesbian Youth.

Within the Baha'i faith in the United States: - A group of homosexually oriented members present some recommendations to the group: "Our devotions on Sunday morning included the naming of the many people we once knew who had passed on due to suicide or complications from AIDS..."

The American Midwest (1998): A live-in observer the the GLB youth situation reports on an "at least bisexual" male youth who committed suicide after being placed in jail. Another youth "asphyxiated himself with a car in the garage" after it was believed that he had become "comfortable with his sexuality," which included having visited a local gay group.

Texas: Gay Youth at Risk: "At five years old, I knew I was sexually attracted to men. I internalized all of the negative images surrounding homosexuality; at 18, I attempted suicide in my parent's home. Right after that I left. I still carry the wound; no one should have to believe like I did that they are the only one in the world." - Texas Suicide-Prevention Panel Makes Recommendations N/A: "The commission urged... special programs to reach out to groups often overlooked in suicide prevention programs, including the elderly, ethnic minorities, youths, gays, lesbians and the homeless." A suicide Prevention Tookit (PDF Download): "Within the larger community many populations exist that may be at special risk for suicide, such as women in certain age groups, men, the elderly, people from different ethnic groups, gay/bisexual/lesbian/transgendered people, and youth."

Success Stories - McAllen, Texas: "In May of 2002, a letter arrived at the ACLU from McAllen, Texas, a small town near the Mexican border. Crystal Mendoza and Orlando Campa, two high school students, needed help. Students in their school had been harassed for years, and school leaders did nothing to stop it. Then that spring a gay student committed suicide because he couldn't take it anymore. For the first time ever, classmates at the school got together to talk about the harassment and other LGBT concerns..."

Colorado: Suicide Risks for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender teens (Youth Risk Behavior Survey): LGBQ teenagers are at significantly greater risk for suicide attempts than heterosexual teens. In Boulder County, 44% of LGBQ youth said they’d attempted suicide, compared to 13.5% of heterosexual youth.  - Suicide-prevention effort focuses on gays.

New York: Much of my church work was near New York City, and on Times Square I found my first friendships with a variety of gay males - all of whom are gone now due to suicide, hate crimes and AIDS. (From: Celebrating Howard's Lifetime of Ministry; My Life Began with Stonewall and PLGC N/A (Alternate Link) by the Rev. Howard Warren. Must scroll to locate reference). - In the Closet or Out on the Edge: Teens at Greater Suicide Risk: "James, a bisexual teen, says he’s tried to kill himself twice. Every day at school, he is taunted with "fag," "gay," "queer" and other names too ugly to mention." - Predicting the Suicide Attempts of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth (PDF Download).

Pennsylvania: "In a May 31 article distributed by Knight-Ridder, Wilkes-Barre (Penn.) Times Leader staff writer Bob Nocek profiled a self-identified "gay jock teen" in Pennsylvania. The piece begins: "His parents had finally gone to sleep, and now it was time for Greg Congdon to die... For the second time in barely more than a month, Greg Congdon, 17 years old, wanted to end his life... After that attempt, Greg admitted to the emergency room doctor that he was gay, and subsequently told his parents, who were supportive, but things at school were more difficult." (From: 2) Greg Congdon: a Leader for our Times. (Alternate Link) Select: "misc news, 06/22/99: (15K)". Must scroll to locate reference.) - Death without justice: after their teen son committed suicide in a panic, Pennsylvania parents sued the police who'd threatened to out him. The resulting court case is a landmark for gay and lesbian privacy rights.

Illinois - Chicago: Suicide A Community Epidemic, A Community Solution - Part One: Death and dropout of gay and lesbian teens blights America's school system . - Letter from Asian American 17-year-old coming out: "Denying who I am was the worst form of torture. I thought if I came out I'd lose my parents, friends, everything. I constantly thought of suicide. Hiding almost destroyed me."

Ohio: "For defying gender norms so blatantly she paid the price at school. Classmates taunted and ridiculed her. The problems grew worse when she entered 8th grade. Life became miserable for her. 'It wasn't just guys, it was girls too that were harassing her,' said her mother. Nicole kept her problems to herself. Even school officials were unaware of the severity of the situation. On 13 Oct 98 Nicole could take it no longer. She killed herself using her father's .22 rifle. (From: Gender-Questioning Teen Suicide in Cleveland N/A. (Alternate Link) Select: "gender questioning teen suicide, 03/28/99") - A Commission on Youth and Suicide? Will GLB issues be included? "According to an article in the Akron Beacon Journal (February 15, 1998), Ford said that the inclusion of gay and lesbian youth is in response to the ABJ's recent Suffering in Silence series about glbt youth in the Akron-Canton area, many of whom tried to commit suicide. To date, the bill has bipartisan support with approximately 25 co-sponsors." - The Robbie Kirkland Pages - Ohio Paper Tells Tragic Story of Gay Teen Suicide. - A [gender nonconformable] teen-age girl's battle for acceptance ends in suicide N/A

California: "Spahr had hoped that Robin Reed, a sophomore at Petaluma High School, would be the last gay teen suicide in town. He believes, however, that two other gay teens have since killed themselves." (From: Teen's fate ignited activist (Must scroll to locate reference). - Honoring Robin Reed, a 15-Year Old Suicide. - Gay Teens in School Focus of Weekly Newsmagazine Segment. Slurs like "faggot," "dyke" or "That's so gay," are sometimes not readily addressed or put a halt to, said Highlands Elementary teacher Eric Heins. "Sometimes I've heard students say that teachers just seem to ignore them (slurs) or pretend not to hear." Lauren, a San Leandro High School dropout...  has also contemplated, and attempted, suicide. -  Bay Area gay man's suicide may be basis of TV movie. - Décès mystérieux de deux lesbiennes en Californie.

Teen Line Reaches Out To LGBT Youth (Word Download): "California children are inheriting a society more multicultural and multiracial than ever before witnessed in modern history.  With these gifts of diversity, there sometimes comes ugly intolerance of differences.  Gay and lesbian youth are often at higher risk for emotional problems, abuse, and neglect – not because of their sexual orientation but because of such intolerance, ignorance, and some people’s inability to accept individual differences. LGBTQ youth face great difficulties growing up in a society where homophobia and heterosexism run rampant. Many may feel isolated at home and within their communities." - Another dead gay designer.

Louisiana: Sadly, Gay Anti-Discrimination Laws Are Needed in Louisiana: "Sen. Lynn Dean, R-Braithwaite, had told a Senate committee of personal knowledge of a number of gays who committed suicide."

Massachusetts:  From The Unofficial Site of the... Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay & Lesbian Youth - Availability of all related Reports/Documents, many with suicidality information. - Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay & Lesbian Youth. - The "suicide" section in Prevention of Health Problems Among Gay & Lesbian Youth: Making Health & Human Services Accessible and Effective for Gay & Lesbian Youth (August, 1994). - Countering the Backlash Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students, Families, and Staff in Minnesota Schools: A Primer on the Minnesota Family Institute’s Anti-LGBT Agenda for Public EducationPlus: Steps Toward Stopping the Backlash ( PDF Download). - Study Says Perils of Adolescence Greater for Gay Teens. 

Minnesota: - Gay youth at higher risk of suicide. - Study Confirms High Suicide Risk in Gay Youth. - Youth at risk - statistics of suicide risks among gay teenagers.  - The relationship between suicide risk and sexual orientation: results of a population-based study (Full Text). - Minnesota's GLBT Students. 

Washington: - Safe Schools Coalition of Washington: Suicide. - A summary of Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results relating to GLB adolescent suicide problems (available as PDF Download): Seattle, Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota. - Gabi Clayton's Resources - GLBT Suicide.

Virginia, USA: Out Of The Closet And Out Of The Family: - At the hospital a doctor observes the following after a closeted lesbian youth had attempted suicide: "He looked at his parents with hatred in his eyes 'my sister who I love could have died today. You sound as If you would rather her be dead than gay.'" The doctor then told his "significant other" about the event who, in turn, recalled his own problems as a youth: "Before long I was at the top of a huge hill, and instantly I knew that I no longer wanted to live. I pressed the gas as hard as I could. I saw where there was a sloping hill on the side of the road and steered the car off the road. When I saw a large tree in the cars pathway I closed my eyes and felt at peace for the first time in years." - Suicide of two young girls highlights the hurdles faced by gay youth.

Georgia: Youth Suicide Prevention (Word Download from Atlanta's YouthPride.org): For many years, we have known that young people, particularly GLBTQ youth, are at an increased risk of committing suicide... A Gay Teen Suicide Note (Must Scroll). Introduction to Suicide Note: "The following suicide note was written by Steven, a gay 16-year-old high school student. After he wrote this note he attempted suicide by taking an overdose of medication. He survived. He was hospitalized, treated, and not long after his suicide attempt, moved with his family to another state. Steven was suffering from severe depression when he wrote this note. Anyone who was mistreated, bullied, threatened, and emotionally tortured like Steven could very easily become severely depressed - and suicidal. The note has been left intact, complete with misspellings, grammatical errors, and profanity, except for inserting "[name removed]" in the place of some names. Steven's suicide note is extremely disquieting to read. And it is one more reminder of the outrageous bullying LGBTQ youth endure."

Black Church Summit Takes Stand Against Anti-Gay Discrimination: "Another example of changing attitudes and principled stands among the participating clergy was Rev. Ken Samuel, pastor at the Victory for the World church in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Samuel also used to condemn homosexuality from the pulpit, but he says that he changed his views as he recalled a childhood friend who committed suicide because he felt ostracized by his church for his homosexuality. When Samuel began to preach against anti-gay discrimination, he lost about half of the 5,000 members of his mega-church, but he stood his ground."

North Carolina: Bad Days For Gay Teenagers: "Someone I know committed suicide this past Father's Day. His dad had kicked him out of the house because he was gay. He was just a kid, a teenage boy, on the way to becoming a young man. He liked horror and action movies. He moved around and lived with friends. He worked various low-income jobs to get by. On Father's Day, he decided there was no place for him in this world, so he killed himself."

Michigan:   Pastor Youngchild (MCC Church, Battle Creek, Michigan) reports on his experiences with being contacted by GLB youth in a letter ot the Battle Creek Inquirer (Aug. 22, 1999): "...within the first 6 months alone of SOCMCC's existence, 5 different teenagers put out the effort, borne of desperation, to contact me and discuss their feelings... their experiences of discovering their gay or lesbian or bisexual orientation... and most pointedly their experiences of hatred and even violence being directed at and against them in our Battle Creek Public School system, not only by a number of students but even by some teachers, simply for being "queer."  Five kids in our first 6 months, after 15 years of silence in my previous ministry, because we appeared safe enough to them to seek out.  Three of those teens had attempted suicide.  One of them had tried three times.

Alaska: Alaska Suicide Follow-back Study Final Report: Study period September 1, 2003 to August 31, 2006 - 426 suicides (PDF Download): "4% were involved in a homosexual relationship." Note: Most homosexual people may not be in relationships.

Guam:  Pinhey TK, Millman SR (2004).  Asian/Pacific Islander Adolescent Sexual Orientation and Suicide Risk in Guam. American Journal of Public Health,  94(7): 1204-1206. (Abstract) Full Text: PDF Download.  The Odds for GB Males Attempting Suicide in the Past year is About Five Times Greater than Odds For Other Males. Estimated by Web Page Author: Risk Ratio = 3.2 - 43.5% of GB males attempted suicide, versus 13.5% for other males. For all Males: 14.5%.  3.5% of 674 males studied = GB Males

Hawaii: - Island Voices: Gay Youth Still at Risk - by Kauanoe Bombard (1998).
 

Canada:

Reaching Out: A Report on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues in Canada. Prepared for the United Church of Canada, EGALE. "As a society, we have been slowly killing these children over a period of years. With their suicides, they are simply finishing the job we started." - In Canada, a bright and diligent 14-year-old student leapt to his death from a bridge. He left a seven-page suicide note saying he was killing himself because his classmates tormented him by calling him "gay" or "faggot".

Western Canada:- "..the life I lived as a gay man was too disappointing and held too much tragedy. Of my six other friends, two died of AIDS related illnesses, one of suicide, and another attempted suicide." -  Suicide of an Alberta gay teenager.  -  Canada: Generally homonegative environments (including in schools) are described leading to many problems for GLBT adolescents, including suicidal problems. - Social Determinants of Suicide Attempts in a Cohort of Young Men Who Have Sex With Men (PDF Download).(Related Published Paper: Correlates of suicide attempts in an open cohort of young men who have sex with men.) 

Calgary, Canada (From the files of  Pierre Tremblay): Five parents of male adolescents who had committed suicide (within about a one-year period) were part of a group - SPAN - concerned about the youth suicide problem. Two youngest boys (about age 13) had a history of gender nonconformity and related peer problems. One hung himself in jail after having been arrested, and after having become a clone who was not feminine-like; his mother reported that he had been in the "feminine" category since a very young age. A CTV's W-5 program reported that the other suicide victim was deemed "a sissy" by peers and was treated accordingly.  A 17-year-old male suicide victim was discovered to be homosexually oriented from a female friend, and he was definitely a Save-The-World kid given the information supplied by his mother. The fourth was Bobby Steele, and Information was not solicited or received on the fifth suicide victim. Near the end of 1996, I learned about the suicide of a male youth soon after he had  made contact with a GLB youth group (A related Article, but Bobby's name is not mentioned.). In 1997, I met a 20-year-old gay male who had just come out and was seeking a relationship with someone. He met a gay male, became lovers, and they moved to a location a few hundred miles from Calgary. When he returned, he reported that his boyfriend had attempted to kill him, after he had expressed a desire to end the relationship. He had done this by driving his vehicle into an 80-foot ravine, but both survived. If they had died, however, it may have resulted in the belief that they committed suicide. In August 1998, I learned about a 35-year-old Vancouver gay male (schizophrenic, but did not apparently have suicidal problems) who committed suicide by exiting from a 8th-floor window. A number of factors may have been implicated in this suicide, including the end of a relationship with another gay male (I have known for 12 years) about a month before the suicide, but he was not HIV-positive. I recently learned that he had gone to a hospital about two hours before his death but a lack of space precluded his admission.

From Lloydminster, Alberta, via Edmonton's GLB Times. Ten magazine: Often enough someone knows about the homosexual orientation of a suicide victim: "Dear Editor... That first night of my stay in North Battleford, I was stunned to learn that I was only the second of six SUICIDE/ATTEMPTS for Lloydminster. It was disconcerting to find that two were successful, one of them being a guy I had slept with on a regular basis." Information supplied about another suicide known to him: "While I recovered, another young man took his own life just ten days ago. It would seem that his farewell note said it all too clearly for him "that there was nothing gay about being GAY!" -  Being Gay in Rural Alberta: "I would still be drinking a lot. I would very much be avoiding (the issue)," he says, stating in all seriousness that, "Suicide was an option."

British Columbia: - BC Teen Suicide Aftermath:  Conflict Ensues Over Prevention N/A. - B.C. Study Shows Gay Youth Face High Suicide Risk (June 14, 1999). - Study: Lesbian Teens More Likely To Attempt Suicide.  - Focus on the Family distorts work of University of British Columbia researcher. - Sexual Orientation, Risk and Resilience Study. - Proposed Framework for GLBT Youth Suicide and Abuse Prevention (PDF Download).

Maritime Provinces: - High school confidential: Gays and lesbians in Nova Scotia high schools. - New Brunswick teachers have decided to fight homophobia in the province's schools.

Quebec: - Déficiente, la prévention du suicide chez les gais: "Si l'on souhaite un jour franchement s'attaquer à la question du suicide au Québec, il faudra commencer par cerner l'une de ses cibles les plus vulnérables, les homosexuels." Préfère-t-on encore les voir morts ? ou Le suicide chez les jeunes qui vivent l'homosexualité. - Le suicide chez les gais et lesbiennes Suicide-Action Montréal s'implique davantage. - Le phénomène du suicide au Québec et l'homosexualité: "On ne peut parler d’homosexualité sans mentionner l’homophobie. On sait maintenant avec certitude que le fait d’avoir à vivre le harcèlement répété des homophobes à leur endroit est une cause très importante de tentative de suicide, chez les jeunes garçons en particulier. L’homophobie est très répandue : un autre problème de société." - L’urgence d’agir: La prévention du suicide chez les personnes homosexuelles: Une question de santé mentale: Rapport d’un groupe de réflexion initié par Gai Écoute (PDF Download)

Quebec was the first major jurisdiction in North America (province, state, or country) to include "sexual orientation in their charter of rights (1977). Homophobia and related abuses remain rampant, however, as reported in Quand l'autre en soi grandit: les difficultés à vivre l'homosexualité à l'adolescence - Bill Ryan et Jean-Yves Frappier (L'adolescence: une réalité méconnue). French Canadian GLBT adolescents have al the problems of their English counterparts, including attending highly homo-negative schools where administrations have gone as far as stating: "We do not want any homosexuals here!" "Peu après, une travailleuse sociale contactée par Pierre et sa famille recevra le même type de réponse de la part de la direction de l'école: "On ne veut pas d'homosexuels ici!" Quebec and Alberta have a history of having the highest youth suicide rates in Canada. - Suicide an ongoing issue in the gay community. - L’homosexualité vue par les Québécoises et les Québécois: Les trois quarts de la population se disent ouverts et tolérants. - Suicide and GLB Youth - A document prepared by Project 10 of Montreal exploring the psycho-social and counselling issues related to suicide among gay, lesbian and bisexual youth N/A (PDF Download Available).

Avril 2002 (Must Scroll): "Un sondage en ligne réalisé par Citegay.com propose quelques données chiffrées sur la perception de l'homosexualité durant l'adolescence. Sur 6308 votes, 5,8% considèrent que la perception de leur homosexualité les ont amené à tenter de se suicider, 10,4% disent avoir envisagé le suicide. La perception de leur homosexualité fut une cause de souffrance pour 54,1% ( soit 3410 personnes). Pour seulement 12,6% de personnes participant au sondage, elle fut source d'épanouissement. Pour 10,7 %, la perception de leur homosexualité durant leur adolescence leur fut indifférente... Qui oserait dire que l'homosexualité ne pose pas problème chez les jeunes, et qu'une "homosexualité" traitée à l'école n'est pas une urgence sociale?" - L’homosexualité: facteur de risque, oui ou non? - Adolescence et homosexualité: souffrance, tabou social et inertie éducative: "...ton homosexualité...a été une cause de souffrance: 53.4%" 

Mort ou Fif: Contexte et mobiles de tentatives de suicide chez les adolescents et jeunes hommes homosexuels ou identifiés comme tels. Excerpts: Nicolas était depuis des années la cible de propos blessants et homophobes... - Les adolescents homosexuels: profils et scénarios: Deux profils. - Dans « Mort ou fif » (« fif » est l'équivalent de « pédé » en québécois), après avoir recueilli des témoignages de jeunes homosexuels qui parlent de leurs tentatives de suicide, le chercheur québécois Michel Dorais analyse le motif et le contexte de ces actes de désespoir. - Homsexualité et Suicide: Michel Dorais: Mort ou fif: La face cachée du suicide chez les garçons. - État de la question et pistes de prévention: Synthèse de la journée d’étude organisée le 17 juillet 2001 (PDF Download): Les jeunes gays et le suicide, Michel Dorais. - Mort ou fif: "Tous les jeunes qui découvrent leur homosexualité ne font pas une tentative de suicide. Mais cette circonstance multiplie par 16 le risque de passage à l’acte. Il n’y a rien d’étonnant à cela, tant la stigmatisation sociale est encore forte concernant cette orientation sexuelle. Chaque année, des dizaines de jeunes continuent de mourir parce qu’ils se croient seuls au monde ou monstrueux et sont victimes de l’intolérance, de l’incompréhension et, pour tout dire, de la bêtise de leurs contemporains..." 

Le rejet social tue parfois: Conférence sur le suicide et les jeunes hommes, le mercredi 14 février, au Grand Salon du pavillon Maurice-Pollack. "La conférence du Groupe de prévention du suicide, intitulée: ""Quand t'es seul au monde": rejet social et suicide chez les jeunes hommes"..." - Masculinisme et suicide chez les hommes. - Suicide: "J'entends montrer dans ce bref article que les jeunes qui vivent l'homosexualité présentent de multiples facteurs de risque en ce qui concerne le suicide. Bien sûr, cela ne signifie pas que tous les jeunes qui vivent l'homosexualité ou qui s'identifient comme étant homosexuels deviennent tous suicidaires, mais que cette population présente des caractéristiques reconnues pour accroître la vulnérabilité personnelle et sociale..."

Le phénomène du suicide chez les jeunes hommes: "L'auteure traite ce délicat sujet en exploitant des entrevues de trois jeunes hommes dont deux sont homosexuels. On pourrait s'étonner de l'insistance mise sur l'homosexualité comme facteur déterminant. En fait, ces propos rejoignent des études qui montrent que les homosexuels, les victimes d'agressions sexuelles et les autochtones sont les principaux candidats au suicide..." - Suicide chez les jeunes homosexuels : Le cercle vicieux.

From "Index" - L'hebdo gai du Québec - October, 98 - Two suicide related articles: La corde au cou and L’homosexualité: facteur de risque, oui ou non?  Cases are noted to reveal that French Canadian gay boys are also attempting suicide for reasons related to their sexual orientation: lack of self-acceptance to abuse by others. One - Pierre - totaled a car in his attempt to kill himself by driving a car at 140 k/hr down a 150-feet embankment and a seat belt was not being used in the hope that death would result. Projet 10 - reports dealing with 10 to 15 suicide attempters per year, while a youth group - Jeunesse Lambda - somewhat minimized the problem. In an inadvertent way, however, the youth group had presented Pierre (suicide attempt described above) with a situation which precipitated his decision to kill himself. [In Calgary, in 1996 or 1997 - a male had attended a GLB youth group once and, soon after, committed suicide.] -  Carrefour Intervention Suicide (Québec): - La problématique du suicide dans les populations gaie, lesbienne et bisexuelle.

Le suicide et l'homosexualité. - Le suicide chez les jeunes hommes homosexuels. - Le suicide chez les gais et lesbiennes. - Le suicide chez les jeunes gais: Gai Écoute à l’origine de la première recherche québécoise portant sur le suicide chez les jeunes gais et bisexuels. - Une réalité à reconnaître: le suicide chez les jeunes gais. - Vous (Claude Charron) avez fait un reportage percutant sur le suicide chez les jeunes gais.Et vous êtes associé à l’organisme Gai Ecoute. C’est important pour vous?  - Histoire de vie: "Je voudrais tellement être comme tout le monde, avoir femme et enfants, mais les hommes m'attirent...Au début de la vingtaine, des pro-blèmes de santé mentale se révèlent de plus en plus chez Denis. Il devient étrange et imprévisible. Les membres de sa famille sont inquiets, on le sent souffrir beaucoup moralement. Durant deux ou trois ans, ses proches le voient dégringoler, jusqu'au jour où il devra être hospitalisé en psychiatrie. Là, on conclut à un diagnostic de schizophrénie. À partir du début de la vingtaine et jusqu'à sa mort, Denis sera épisodiquement suivi en psychiatrie. Régulièrement, il devra faire de nouveaux séjours à l'hôpital psychiatrique...La confusion sur son orientation sexuelle : un obstacle à la « normalité » de Denis... Pour Denis, vivre une vie « normale », c'est entretenir des rapports amoureux avec une personne de l'autre sexe. Au-dedans de lui-même, il n'en est pas moins confronté à la réalité complexe et ambivalente de sa libido. Son orientation sexuelle est confuse. Tout comme il a aimé avoir des relations hétérosexuelles, les hommes l'attirent et l'excitent... Deux ou trois ans avant de se suicider, il forme un couple avec un jeune homme et il fréquente des bars gais. À ses proches, il révèle alors clairement ses tendances. Cette expérience de vie commune se termine au bout de quelques mois. Selon sa famille, « ...c'était difficile à vivre pour Denis d'être ainsi tiraillé sexuellement et de ne pas répondre aux normes de la société ».

Le suicide chez les gais; la Cohorte Oméga signale de nouvelles statistiques qui soulèvent des inquiétudes: "La haute prévalence des idées suicidaires et des tentatives de suicide chez les hommes gais montréalais ainsi que les liens observés entre ces événements et l'acceptation personnelle et sociale de leur orientation sexuelle, soulignent l'urgence d'inclure ces préoccupations de façon formelle aux priorités de santé», termine le communiqué."  - Forte tendance suicidaire chez les homosexuels: (Must Scroll) Pas moins de 36% des hommes homosexuels participant à un vaste ensemble de recherches sur le sida ont déjà tenté de s'enlever la vie, révèle la première étude québécoise qui établit des liens évidents entre l'homosexualité et l'incidence du suicide... Plus encore, près de 72% des participants ont pensé au moins une fois en finir avec la vie, révèle l'étude." - Suicide et coming-out chez les gais et bisexuels montréalais.  Ya-t-il un lien? "Parmi nos participants [Cohorte Oméga], 71,3 % déclarent qu’il leur est arrivé au moins une fois d’avoir des idées suicidaires (23,5 %, une seule fois et  47,8 %, plus d’une fois). L’âge moyen à ce premier événement est de 19 ans (18,7 ans) alors que chez ceux qui rapportent avoir songé à se suicider plus d’une fois, l’âge moyen au dernier événement est de 30 ans (29,9 ans)." - Taux record de tentatives de suicide chez les homosexuels.

L'affaire Pinard: "Le 15 mars 2000, monsieur Daniel Pinard... faisait publiquement son ''coming-out'' à l'émission Les Francs Tireurs... révélant son homosexualité, et ceci, à titre de porte-parole pour le mouvement Gai-Écoute qui tente de sensibiliser la population au phénomène grandissant du suicide chez les jeunes gais. Il y dénonçait la méchanceté gratuite de certains humoristes québécois, ne se contentant pas de rire des minorités, mais pointant directement du doigt des personnalités connues. - Demystifying Homosexuality in Schools in the Chaudière-Appalachia Region: An Aid to Intervention (PDF Download N/A)

Special Issue on "Sexual Orientation" in "Vis-à-vie" by the Quebec Association of Suicidology is now available online.La revue le Vis-à-vie, vol. 10 nº 2, 2000: Le thème de ce numéro est « Suicide et orientations sexuelles »: Un double tabou. - Orientations homosexuelles ou bisexuelles chez les jeunes présentant des problèmes suicidaires: recherche, problématique et propositions. - La honte d'être. - Mort ou fif, différence assassinée. - Événements suicidaires chez les hommes gais. - Gai écoute, 20 ans d'espoir. - Suicide-Action Montréal et Gai écoute : un projet conjoint de formation et de sensibilisation. - L'intervention dans Chaudière-Appalaches. - Histoire de vie.  Note: The English version of "Orientations homosexuelles ou bisexuelles chez les jeunes présentant des problèmes suicidaires: recherche, problématique et propositions" by Pierre Tremblay and Richard Ramsay is available as "Suicidal problems of youth with homosexual or bisexual orientations: research, problems, and proposals.

Le suicide des jeunes à orientation sexuelle non conventionnelle... - Suicide chez les jeunes • reconnaissance des droits • hétérosexisme. À quand une campagne de sensibilisation sur l'homophobie? N/A - L'amour entre femmes dans l'Église catholique par Débora et Judith, aux Éditions AdA Inc.: "On y retrouve également des témoignages et des statistiques qu'on ose à peine dévoiler concernant le suicide de trop nombreux gais et lesbiennes."

Documents PDF N/A: - Impact du «Projet 10» sur le mieux-être sexuel de jeunes gais et bisexuels. - Faire les premiers pas - Un livret pour les jeunes gais, lesbiennes et biseuxuels N/A. - Jeunes gais/ lesbiennes 14-17 ans - Modèle d'intervention de groupe (ville de Québec). - Le suicide et l'orientation sexuelle. Document de Projet 10 Montréal sur les aspects psychosociaux du suicide chez les jeunes gais, lesbiennes et bisexuel(les). - Le livre Blanc: La prévention du suicide. - Le Suicide: Ce que vous devez savoir (PDF Document).
 

Australia / New Zealand:

 NOTE: Some links not available due to Australia's QRD not being online for a period which may be more than temporary. The Sexuality and Youth Suicide Project was also scrapped, but a revival occurred early in 2000..

Sexuality and Youth Suicide Project (West Australia). (Not available, and some information related to Sexuality & Youth Suicide or The 'Here For Life' Youth Sexuality Project was still available, but it is now gone (Nov. 2001). - See the 1999 report: 'Here for Life' Youth Sexuality Project. An overview of some early results by Graham Brown (Manager, Peer Education WA AIDS Council) accessed (PDF Format) from Youth Suicide Prevention Bulletin No.3 June 1999. - School's Out: Homosexuality, Bullying and Suicide.  - A Report from the Skool’s Out Forum on Homophobic Bullying and Harassment
in and around Schools 2002 (PDF Download).

Bisexuals at high risk for mental health problems and suicide: Homosexuals have poorer mental health than heterosexuals. Study: "Sexual orientation and mental health: results from a community survey of young and middle-aged adults." Full Text. - PubMed Abstract. Study results used as part of a presentation of 'higher risk" status for ndividuals noo belonging to socially constructed categories: Link to PowerPoint Presentation. - Towards a sociocultural analysis of youth suicide: Researching the everyday narratives of urban and regional communities (PDF Download).

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Hidden in the Crowd: The Need for Documenting Links between Sexuality and Suicidal Behaviours among Young People, 2003 (PDF Download) - Gay and Lesbian Suicide (including youth suicide). - Rural suicide and same-sex attracted youth: issues, interventions and implications for rural counsellors (PDF Download) (HTML Copy) Rural and Remote Health  (online), 2003: no. 222. Abstract: "Recent research into same-sex attracted youth (SSAY) suicide and rural youth suicide suggests there may be an association between the two. A literature review explores this proposal. While contributing issues to rural SSAY suicide, such as homophobia, isolation, availability of information, and acknowledgement of issues are discussed, little hard evidence is found to support the the rural and SSAY suicide connection. Further and on-going research is recommended into this under-represented topic."

Australian Government rejects anti-suicide poster: it presents being young & gay/lesbian too positively (Must scroll to locate information). - 'Out of line' Judy sets back suicide prevention 50 years [for GLB youth] (Not Available: A 1997 News from Australian Democrats). Youth and Sexuality Final Report now available as Word or Text Zip file at Freedom Centre site: 'Here for Life' Youth Sexuality Project Executive Summary (Zip Word File) and Final Report (Zip Word File). - Health and Support for Australian Gay Males. - Spirituality, Sexuality & Suicide - bringing God & Spirituality out of the closet: "Suicide? Well there's plenty of surveys and statistics about this and the work of dozens of  organisations trying to research, understand and prevent it, like SPA and this conference. Remarkably though, few organisations have included the gay population in their research, even though this sector is one in which suicide ideation is often part of the gauntlet  which the young gay person may often face in their rocky process of coming out as someone whose sexuality flies in the face of the heterosexist model of the rest of the world around them."

Youth suicide strategy evaluated (Sydney Star Observer, Issue 533) by By Sarah Bacon:"... the only project funded by the Strategy which dealt specifically with gay and lesbian youth suicide issues was the Here For Life Youth Sexuality Project (WA AIDS Council in conjunction with the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service) which  received $250,000. Graham Brown, the health promotion officer on the Here For Life Project, says the project "went really well" considering the number of challenges - such as political battles and homophobic backlash - they had to overcome. - Australia's Valuing Young Lives: Evaluation of the National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy is available online. - Issues Paper: Mental health issues for GLBTI Victorians (PDF Download).

Suicide Prevention Australia 8th Annual Conference 2001 - A Human Odyssey (6 - 9 April 2001) - Session (1) "Suicide in the Gay & Lesbian Community" - Jonathan Nicholas: The Reach Out Program, Sydney - (90 minute workshop):  The incidences of suicide in the gay and lesbian community are dramatically high. Many do not have expertise in counselling in this area. The first in-depth  Australian research into completed suicide within this community sampling more than 400 people to the age of 30 has just been completed with some dramatic findings. This workshop is a must for anyone working with young people. - Self Harm and Suicide Risk for Same-Sex Attracted Young People: A Family Perspective (Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health (AeJAMH), Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2002: PDF Download).

Self Harm and Suicide Risk for Same-Sex Attracted Young People: A Family Perspective (Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health (AeJAMH), Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2002: PDF Download). - Suicide Prevention Australia 8th Annual Conference 2001 - A Human Odyssey (6 - 9 April 2001) (Must join group to view web page)- Session (1) "Suicide in the Gay & Lesbian Community" - Jonathan Nicholas: The Reach Out Program, Sydney - (90 minute workshop):  The incidences of suicide in the gay and lesbian community are dramatically high. Many do not have expertise in counselling in this area. The first in-depth  Australian research into completed suicide within this community sampling more than 400 people to the age of 30 has just been completed with some dramatic findings. This workshop is a must for anyone working with young people.

Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ, Ridder EM, Beautrais AL (2005). Sexual orientation and mental health in a birth cohort of young adults. Psychological Medicine, 35: 971-981 (PDF Download, Download Page): "Cohort members with a predominantly homosexual orientation had rates of mental disorder and suicidal behaviours that were between 1.5 to 12 times higher than for those with an exclusively heterosexual orientation. These associations persisted after adjustment for confounding. The associations between sexual orientation and mental health were more marked for males than females."

Suicide and Self-harm (Volume 166, Issues in Society): "Suicide is a tragedy which occurs all too often and which can prevented. This book examines Australia's suicide rate and focuses on the groups most at risk - young people; middle-aged men; Aboriginal people; gays and lesbians; people from rural and remote communities; and the elderly. This book also explores the risk factors and warning signs for people who self-harm, and for those who attempt suicide; the myths of suicide; treatments for depression; understanding suicide and developing prevention strategies; and how to deal with the grief of losing someone who has taken their own life."

Tasmania: - Release on Tas gay suicide study - 2.5 times more likely to be suicide attempters. - Gay Youth Study: Government response Essential (Tasmania) N/A. - Under 21: Youth Suicide. - I remember wanting to die and wanting others to feel the depth of my suffering and hopelessness: Sticks and Stones May Break Bones, But Names Hurt Even More.

Outlinks - Rural GLB Youth Network:  - Summary: Sexuality & Suicide: An Investigation of Health Compromising and Suicidal Behaviours among Gay and Bisexual Male Youth in Tasmania. - An Investigation of Health compromising and Suicidal Behaviours among Gay and Bisexual Male Youth in Tasmania, Kent Fordham, 1998: "Following an earlier study which found that 10% a sample of rural 14-18 year olds report same sex attractions, a study in 1998 of a sample of rural, regional and some urban 14-18 year old same sex attracted youth by Lynne Hillier and Jenny Walsh from the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University found that 46% reported verbal and physical abuse 70% of which occurred at school. 11% reported IV drug use compared to 1% of all young people. They also report higher rates of drinking and marijuana and heroin use. Only 5% of same sex attracted youth sought help from counsellors and 14% from teachers." - Full Text, Sexuality & Suicide - PDF Download) - Outlink National Gay and Lesbian Rural Youth Project. - "Rural youth suicide: the issue of male homosexuality" by Edward Green (Social Change in Rural Australia, 1996),

Rural gays in misery: Report. "Their misery often led them to alcohol and drugs and even suicide." (Information available at the Reach Out web site. Must register and use site's search engine). - Working it Out - "Working It Out" Committee: Adressing Sexuality Issues. - Rural youth suicide: convention, context and cure: Speech by Chris Sidoti, Human Rights Commissioner to the Australian College of Health Service Executives (SA) Seminar, Adelaide, 14 October 1999.

Tasmania: ...a 16 year old man, Captain of his Launceston high school, killed himself last week after being constantly harassed for being gay (Sept. '99). He died because this society did everything it could to encouraged his death and nothing to stop it. It instilled in him a deep and abiding sense of shame and worthlessness. It filled his peers with a profound ill-will, armed them with the words to inflict their malice, and permitted them to attack. Then, having systematically made his young life hell, society just as systematically denied him all hope. - Rodney Croome Says Society is Encouraging Deaths: Youth Suicides Due to Narrow Social-Sexual Pressures: "Tasmanian gay activist, Rodney Croome condemned what he described as the' tyranny of heterosexuality' at the launching of the Victorian Law Foundation's new book, A Just Society? ..

Ignored to death: Representations of young gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in Australian youth suicide policy and programs - 1996. - "A [1998] mental health conference in Sydney addressing gay and lesbian youth suicide has heard the problem is still largely ignored by governments and rural communities." - Suicide prevention projects Ignore Sexuality. - Call for action to combat youth-gay suicide rate. - Gay youth suicide prevention may be missing the mark. - Youth suicide in Australia: What are the causes and risk factors for suicide among young people? Multiplicity of factors linked to youth suicide (Homosexuality is not mentioned in the document "Youth suicide in Australia - A Background Monograph". Is this an example of "being ignored to death"?). - The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society has published a report "Don't ask, don't tell - Hidden in the crowd: the need for documenting links between sexuality and suicidal behavious among young people" in May 2003... Gay Issues continue to be ignored?

Ian's goal to educate kids: - Roberts, Australia's first leading sportsman to declare his homosexuality, has received hundreds of letters from youths frightened and bewildered about their sexuality. He proposed the development of an education kit to be made available in all schools. "If people read the letters I've had about kids being suicidal, and knowing people who have committed suicide, you know it wouldn't be a problem to be introduced," he said. - A challenge to the stereotypes (Ian Roberts: Finding Out, by Paul Freeman): "The social problem of homophobia, as Freeman shows, still remains, of course. Gay youth are made homeless by being thrown out by intolerant parents; gays are victims of hate crimes, verbal harassment and the assault of images of heterosexuality as “normal”. All this drives some gay youth to suicide attempts."

  From XY Magazine (1995): "Young male suicide - reversing the trend." Reporting on a suicide prevention conference: "One other excellent paper, by Kenton Penley of the Second Storey Youth Health Centre in Adelaide, reported the dearth of research into the effects of heterosexism and homophobia on youth suicide rates." "But two out of 50 [papers presented] is a damming illustration of how the community of "anti-suicide workers" regards the need to ask how gender construction effects suicide rates."

Out of a group of 13 gay street kids who, by an early age, were being passed around by abusive men, only 3 survived to the age of about 30 - most by violent suicides, OD's, and AIDS. Other suicide cases are given, and the issue of mainstream suicidology problems are discussed. - Christmas can be Gay, but not Very Merry: "Youth worker Ralph Graham says that while Christmas is a hard time for many people who cannot be with their loved ones, it is particularly hard for homosexuals. Coming to terms with their sexuality and fear of rejection can be too much. The pressure is reflected in homosexual suicide statistics around the festive season... Last year Ralph received three calls from people attempting suicide in the lead-up to Christmas. All three were young men trying to come to terms with their sexuality. One had the support of his parents, another had not yet told them and the third was not comfortable with being gay, fearing rejection from his parents, family and friends." - A gay man who survived a mutual suicide pact with his lover.

Shane Hughes is a 23 year old bisexual who lives in Adelaide, South Australia. "Between the ages of 14 and 21, Shane attempted suicide several times because he could not deal with his sexuality and the feelings he was having." - How a Gay Son Finally came out to his Parents: "Mrs Hughes, who lives at Victor Harbour with husband Graham, said that after the initial shock, there was a sense of relief. He’d had suicide attempts and we didn’t understand why. We questioned ourselves." Mrs Hughes said. "...Mrs Hughes, who lives at Victor Harbour with husband Graham, said that after the initial shock, there was a sense of relief. He’d had suicide attempts and we didn’t understand why. We questioned ourselves." Mrs Hughes said... Shane Hughes is 25 and happy – but it wasn’t always the case. He recalls his primary school days, when he noticed he was attracted to boys as well as girls. "I didn’t really do anything about it until my early high school days, when I started feeling my way around, if I can put it that way," he said. "I got mixed up from there. I had a hard time of it. Maybe because it was all happening for me and I didn’t have any positive gay role models..."

Silence is where the hate grows - in reference to mainstream suicidologists avoiding "homosexuality" issues in adolescent suicide research and prevention work:  "Although Casey reckons he "always knew" he was gay, he became one of the kids who was "forced into doing it". After moving to Sydney, Casey was drawn into a string of abusive "relationships"...Because of his low self-esteem borne of the silence, Casey says he was easy pickings for deeply-closeted homosexual "sick tickets" who found more pleasure in hearing screams for mercy as they held knives to the throats of other parents' sons than in real and open love... Starved of real love and left with little hope, Casey, like many young gays, turned to chemical "friends" to fill the void. His only human friends became the other youngsters traded by the "sick tickets"... "Of the thirteen of us, I'm one of only three that's still alive today," Casey says. "Most of my friends blew their heads off, some of them OD'd and some of them have died from AIDS. They were all bright kids with talents and promising futures."

The Wakeup Call - Robert was sexually abused as a boy, expelled from his adopted Christian family when his homosexual orientation was discovered at age 14, survived via street prostitution in Brisbane, contracted HIV, developed AIDS, and killed himself in a way that may be deemed "an accident" by the investigating authorities. Sometimes a friend, such as Martin Worterding, may know that it was not an accident and he remains emotionally troubled because he is part of a society not deemed "innocent" with respect to such ultimately fatal outcomes.

Homosexuality and Suicide (Part 2, Part 1) by Ed Green with Margaret Appleby (From: The Suicide-Prevention Information Centre): Difficulties experienced in the 'coming out' stage..., Difficulties in the school environment..., Lack of friends and role models..., Discrimination in the workplace..., Violence towards gays and lesbians..., Problems when sexuality is hidden..., Attitudes of some religious denominations..., Isolation in rural communities..., Higher risk for AIDS..., Providing support for homosexuals..., Bibliography. (Extract from the "Suicide Awareness for Aboriginal Communities" by Margaret Appleby & Dr. Raymond King Colleen, Brown Publishers - Rose Education)

Prejudice can Affect Health: Australian Medical Association: "he cited a 1996 Australian study that showed that over half of gay male youths had attempted suicide. "Because of homophobia, people are suffering. Young people are dying. There can be no excuses for delays in achieving justice and human rights for all people. Lives depend on it," said Phelps. "There was very wide consultation in reaching this position statement," Phelps told Reuters Health. "I believe that it's a very important document, and it's one which the AMA will be disseminating widely to community groups and medical colleges and universities." - AMA Federal President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, To The Amnesty International Global Human Rights Conference: "Why Homophobia is a Health Issue." - Sexual Diversity and Gender Identity Position Statement of AMA.

"Combating Lesbian and Gay Youth Suicide and HIV/AIDS Transmission Rates: An Examination of Possible Education Strategies in Western Australian High Schools in Light of Prevailing State Statutes" by Christopher N Kendal & Sonia Walker (E Law - Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law, Vol 5, No 4).

Help for parents dealing with youth suicide and homosexuality. A program run by Jesuit Social Services N/A.- In Queensland, schools left to decide whether GBL-positive materials will be incorporated in their suicide prevention programs N/A. -  Our son committed suicide because his Church regarded him as a sinner and his state regarded him as a criminal. - Cranebrook is the fourth school he has had to leave. He has attempted suicide three times and receives regular psychological counselling.

Between 40,000 and 60,000 young Australians attempt suicide each year. Thirty per cent of those attempts are related to homophobia and sexuality. Despite this, only 300 out of 853 youth suicide prevention projects mention the “gay issue”, and only 12 address it in their programs. - Study examining lives of gay, lesbian teachers, students and ex-students in schools found N.A. - College hate campaign sparks reform call (Note: White Print on White Background).

Melbourne Herald Sun (27/12/'99): Boys learn to be homophobic in the primary school playground, an academic says. "...homophobia peaks in the mid to late teens, with boys in Years 8 and 9 reporting they use the word "poofter" 25 to 50 times a day... "At that age it is extremely powerful - in fact 'poofter' was ranked as the worst thing that a boy could be called." - Anti-homophobia plan may curb suicide rate: (Alternate Link, must scroll) "It started after surveys found bullying of same-sex attracted students was rife. A study of 1200 rural high school students found 11 per cent of teens aged 14-16 were attracted to the same sex. Another study of same-sex attracted teens found 13 per cent had suffered physical abuse and 46 per cent had suffered verbal abuse. Nearly 70 per cent of the abuse happened at school: 60 per cent by other students, 10 per cent by friends and 3 per cent by teachers. "It is total bullying," said Mr Rojas-Morales. "It begins at primary school."

Sydney Morning Herald (29/12/'99):  Students admit same sex attraction. Smith A, Lindsay J, Rosenthal D (1999).Same-sex attraction, drug injection and binge drinking among Australian adolescents. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 23(6), 643-6. 6% of grade 10-12 students report having same-sex attractions and are at higher risk for a number of problems. - 11 Year Old Youngest In Australia To Undergo TG Therapy: "The suicide rate amongst transgenders is so high (43 per cent of transgenders in Australia have committed suicide or have made an attempt) and I don't want a dead child." (Alternate Link)

The abuse of a gay male adolescent in a Melbourne school is implicated in suicide. A newspaper, The Age, printed a related article (Nov, 1998 - not available online) resulting in two letters to the editor which outline the highly negative situation existing in schools for gay and lesbian youth. - From a May, 1998 "The Age" article: "Parents need to ask themselves if they would prefer our schools to deal sensitively with homophobia, or read about a child's anguish in a suicide note." From the Hunter Institute of Mental Health: An innovative mental health education program, servicing the Hunter Region and Northern New South Wales - Module 10: Gay and Lesbian Youth Suicide. - Module 10 available as PDF Download.

New Zealand: - Homo! Poofter! Faggot! Youth Focus Article (Must Scroll) : A 17-year-old gay male describes his adolescent environment, a life a many suicide attempts, the uselessness of psychiatrists (at least for his problems), and a bleak outlook for the future "I've been rejected enough by family in my life, so losing friends would have just thrown me," he explained. But school was not easy for him. "Along with friendship break-ups at school, being gay just topped it off." He attempted suicide over a dozen times. "I lose count! I swallowed half a dozen different pills, drank nearly every household chemical we had, and slit my wrists."" - Youth at Risk: "Homelessness, Sexual Abuse, Family Rejection HIV: All are contributing to Gay Youth suicides." - An Australian expert reports that  New Zealand has done very little to stop young gays and lesbians from committing suicide. - Gay Catholics Challenge Archbishop Pell on Youth Suicide.

New Zealand: - Andrew, a married man with 3 children, attempted suicide 3 times before coming to terms with a secret few would have known - except for the males he had sex with - had he died from his suicide attempts. - First New Zealand study to explore GLB suicidality issues: Longitudinal Youth Study (By age 21: Suicide attempt incidence for GLB identified youth is 32.1%, and 7.0% for the others. - A study of suicidality and gay youth by John Fenaughty: "Life on the seesaw: an assessment of suicide risk and resiliency for bisexual and gay male youth in Aotearoa / New Zealand.

New Zealand: - In Ya Face - Like, for example, the mis-conception that sexuality has nothing to do with some people killing themselves. I disagree. Large numbers of gays and lesbians have grappled with the thought of putting a gun to their head, or jumping off the bridge. Why? Because being gay, lesbian or transgendered in Aotearoa, despite the changes in the past decade, is still a bloody hard thing to be. It's incredibly hard, and the pressures are such that it pushes too many youths, literally, off the edge... Let's get very real, very quickly, and start to recognize that a large proportion of youth suicides may be attributed to the pressures of being gay or lesbian.

New Zealand: New study to eventually be ready for peer review and likely publication - "A New Zealand study being conducted by researchers at the Dunedin School of Medicine (for information please contact Shyamala Nada-Raja - Email: shyamala@gandalf.otago.ac.nz) will determine the association between sexual orientation (based on a measure of sexual attraction) and a range of behaviours indicative of deliberate self-harm (suicidal, non-suicidal intent). The study is based on the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (DMHDS). The findings are expected to complement those reported by Fergusson and colleagues (1999) in the Archives of General Psychiatry." (Cited from a March 21, 2000 email from Shyamala Nada-Raja written in response to a request made by Pierre Tremblay for related information.). - The study is published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(3): 541–546 (March, 2003): "Sexual Orientation and Self-Harm in Men and Women" by Keren Skegg, Shyamala Nada-Raja, Nigel Dickson, Charlotte Paul, and Sheila Williams. Lifetime suicide attempt incidences for young adult males: Heterosexual (6%), Minor Homosexuality (16%), Significant Homosexuality (25%). For females: Heterosexual (9%), Minor Homosexuality (11%), Significant Homosexuality (33%). Link to abstract (Must Locate) at American Journal of Psychiatry web site. PubMed Abstract.

Factors influencing the risk of suicide for gay and lesbian people include (NZ Site): (Home Page) - Awareness of being gay or lesbian and first sexual experience - Total rejection by family over coming out - Rejection by society - Promiscuity and unsafe sex - Homophobic assaults and cruel taunts. - Risk Factors for Youth Suicide: "Sexual Orientation: There is growing international evidence to confirm that young gay, lesbian and bisexual people have higher rates of suicidal behaviour, arising from lack of support for their sexual orientation and the discrimination they face."

Suicide in New Zealand II: a review of risk factors and prevention (Annette Beautrais, New Zealnad Medical Journal, 2003): "Psychosocial stresses... Sexual orientation Clear linkages have been established between sexual orientation and suicide attempt behaviour. These findings have been reported for New Zealand, with results indicating that young people of gay, lesbian and bisexual orientation had rates of suicidal ideation and attempt that were over five times those of heterosexual youth."

Samoa: - The Closet in the Locker Room: "Many young gay people commit suicide and this is about saving lives.” Tuaolo was shocked when a woman on a Samoan Web site, responding to his announcement, said her son had committed suicide because he was gay. Others on line responded that suicide is exactly what any gay person should do."
 

Europe:

England: - At the time of his suicide Fashanu was wanted by police after fleeing America, where he had a coaching job, in the wake of charges that he performed a sexual act on a 17-year-old boy N/A. - Peter Tatchell says it was homophobia that ultimately destroyed the career and life of football star Justin Fashanu. - Darren Steele (N/A) had suffered a five-year ordeal of taunting and beating from fellow pupils at de Ferrers High in Burton because he was thought to be gay, purely because of his love of cookery and drama classes. Darren left a suicide note naming those he blamed for his death, and this resulted in the arrest of 11 pupils, although the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute them. Choirboy hanged himself after years of bullying. More related items: 1, 2, 3. - Let's talk about sexuality: The Samaritans and the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard have been building bridges to improve services available to the despairing and suicidal. - Student who died under train told family he was gay: "A gifted Cambridge University student was killed under a Tube train hours after revealing his homosexuality to his parents, an inquest was told yesterday...."

Suicide problems after becoming part of gay community: No Way Out - "Last year, six friends of mine tried to kill themselves. All men in their twenties, all intelligent, attractive, popular, and seemingly happy; and all, to a greater or lesser extent, identifying as gay. I started the year never having known anyone who’d attempted suicide. By christmas it felt like my world had been struck by an epidemic:" Three cases are described.  "The Project for Advice, Counselling and Education (PACE) recognize that gay suicide is not a problem restricted to the pre-coming-out years of adolescence. "It’s an ongoing problem", one counselor told me. Many gay men don't find the support they need on the gay scene." It's a telling indictment of gay society that. Far from providing a solution to the homophobia of conventional life, the gay scene, and it's me-generation hedonism, makes gay people feel more isolated and alienated. - Warning over gay community's suicide rate.

Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association News Release - 5 October 1999: - "Take the case of Simon Harvey, son of George Harvey who runs a so-called counselling service for gays in East Anglia. Simon killed himself because he couldn't reconcile his homosexuality with the stance taken by his evangelical Christian father. More recently, a young man in Rotherham killed himself after listening to the American evangelist Pat Robertson condemning homosexual relationships - a tragedy brought to light by the coroner at the inquest. - Victims of gay bashing suicide link.

Study: Mental health and quality of life of gay men and lesbians in England and Wales (Abstract) (PubMed Abstract): "Gay men and lesbians were more likely than heterosexuals to have consulted a mental health professional in the past, deliberately harmed themselves and used recreational drugs. Lesbians were more likely to have experienced verbal and physical intimidation and to consume more alcohol than heterosexual women." - New Study Indicates Gays and Lesbians Prone To Psychological Symptoms and Substance Abuse - But School Harassment Rates Not Higher for Gay Males. - Gay star reveals suicide attempt (2006): "Gay actor Stephen Fry will reveal his struggle with depression and suicide contemplation in a new BBC documentary highlighting the condition later this year."

The cultural context of youth suicide: Identity, gender, and sexuality (Research in Progress: (PDF Download - Word Download): "There is growing international evidence that young people struggling with issues of sexuality and gender identity face increased likelihood of attempting suicide. This has been raised repeatedly as an issue in the U.K. though not yet researched in detail. The proposed study will explore the cultural context of youth suicide in England and Wales, with a focus on the significance of gender identity and sexuality."

Ireland: - Report: One In Five Irish Gays Attempted Suicide. - GLBT suicide problems are expected to be similar in magnitude to the situation existing in countries where related research had been carried out. - The Irish Times (1998): Mr Kieran Rose of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), which made a submission in 1996, accused the task force of willfully ignoring the issue of gay and lesbian suicide (Must subscribe). - Ulster's Young Gay men 30 Times More Likely to Attempt Suicide: An alarming report, conducted by the Northern Ireland Science Shop, has recorded that young gay men are 30 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts: some have made as many as nine unsuccessful attempts to kill themselves. - Study: 1 in 4 young Irish gays tried suicide. - Call for research into gay-suicide link. - Suicide Creates Waves of Sorrow: With his pink hair and polished nails, teen's shortlife was gay but hardly happy (PDF Download, Must Scroll: The Irish Associatoion of Suicidology Newsletter, 2004).

The USL GLBT Mental Health Campaign: ""A recent survey carried out in Northern Ireland showed over ‘one quarter (27.1 per cent) of respondents had attempted suicide and over two thirds (71.3 per cent) of respondents had thought about taking their own life’ (Out on You Own, McNamee). This is a huge problem within the LGBT community and further research and initiatives are needed to help solve the problem." - Submission to National Strategy for Action on Suicide Prevention: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth and Suicide  (Word Download).

Study: Suicide rate high for Irish gay teens: "Inside Story January 20, 2004 - Belfast, Northern Ireland | Nearly a third of young lesbian and gay people in Northern Ireland have tried to kill themselves because of ongoing persecution and bullying, according to a new survey. Just over 29 percent of gay respondents to the Department of Education (news - web sites) poll said they had attempted suicide, with as many as 50 percent saying they suffered some sort of bullying regarding their sexuality. Additionally, 26 percent of young people self-harmed as a way of dealing with the pressures they faced regarding their sexuality." -  Boys Don't Cry: How many gay Irish men have taken their lives in the last year? Nobody knows: "The report's findings on the experiences of gay men and women show an increased risk of suicide - though this varies considerably according to individual, social, economic and sociopolitical circumstances... Will Peters of Gay HIV Strategies says: "Personally I believe the rates have always been very high. It is a hard thing to say publicly because of the families who have been bereaved by suicide, but I think that a lot of these young men who are being mourned were gay. And they were gay 20 or 30 years ago." ..."People had plenty of anecdotal evidence. Schools, for example, told us that most bullying manifests itself in homophobia."

Scotland: Live To Tell: Finding of a study of suicidal thought, feelings and behavior amongst young gay and bisexual men in Edinburg (PDF Download): 

Research highlights: 95 Gay/Bi Males aged 15-26 (Average age = 20.8 years). 28% of respondents had at some point deliberately injured themselves with no suicidal intent. This compares to 2% of men in the general population.. 54% of respondents had seriously considered taking their own life, compared to 13% of men in the general population who have ever considered suicide. 51% of respondents who had previously considered suicide now no longer felt suicidal. However, 15% of respondents still seriously considered suicide at least once a month. 27% of young gay/bisexual men have attempted suicide compared to 4% of the general population. Suicide attempts were most common in those young gay/bisexual men aged 14 to 20. 58% of those who had attempted suicide made only one attempt. 35% had made three or more attempts. 23% made five or more attempts. 54% of respondents who had attempted suicide had at some point deliberately injured themselves without wanting to take their own life.

Two men in Stirling, Scotland, have killed themselves after being caught on video-tape in a police sting operation at a cruisy toilet in Beechwood Park. - Scottish Media Monitor: "After learning gay MP, Chris Smith and his partner cooked for each other, he was mortified: "What are we to make of this muddled message the government are sending?" (That they cooked for each other)? And after two men committed suicide following police surveillance of a toilet in Stirling, he  scoffed: "Unfortunate - but neither the police or society are to blame..." He thundered: "I’m no prude. Live and let live is my motto. Just keep your sleaze to yourself is all I ask"."

France: - Suicide et dépression chez les adolescents homosexuels, l'urgence d'une action!!! - Le suicide qui n’ose pas dire son nom: "Le livre Homosexualité & suicide, au travers d’études et de 13 témoignages, propose une explication du taux de suicide apparemment plus élevé chez les gays et lesbiennes et particulièrement les jeunes... Je cite un paragraphe du livre qui résume les principaux facteurs à risque pour le jeune gay : « on s’aperçoit que les risques suicidaires les plus élevés sont, soit associés à un vécu persécutif de la part de membres de la famille, de pairs, ou de professionnels référents ; soit à une difficulté extrême à traverser la prise de conscience et / ou la révélation de l’homosexualité ; soit enfin à une incapacité à vivre l’un de ses premiers amours, à un rejet de sa part ou à une rupture amoureuse.." - Tentatives de suicide à l’adolescence: souffrance singulière et mal-être social: "Les jeunes face à l’homophobie" par Eric Verdier, Coauteur de Homosexualité et suicide (p. 14-16. PDF Download) -  Suicide Mortelle homophobie: Entretien réalisé par Dany Stive: Éric Verdier et Jean-Marie Firdion, Homosexualités et Suicide. - Contribution d’Eric Verdier À L’amphi 2005. - Une recherche action d’Éric Verdier: Préférence sexuelle, niveau social, origine ethnique : la discrimination conduit à la prise de risque..

Le risque de suicide chez les jeunes a orientations sexuelles non conventionelles (lesbiennes, bisexuelles, gais) (PDF Download, Homosexualites et Socialism, Rapport). - Le rejet social comme origine du suicide. (Alternate Limk) - Le suicide des jeunes gays: Links to many items. - Avoir 16 ans et être homo: "La vie est très difficile lorsqu'on se découvre gay au collège et au lycée. Un petit aperçu de mon histoire à moi et mes conseils... C'était également un moyen d'annoncer mon homosexualité aux gens qui m'entourent. Grave erreur. Dans le cercle de mes amis, je me suis découvert des ennemis suite à cette annonce. ça a été un calvaire cette dernière année. Insultes, sous-entendus mal placés, et même des crachas..." - Suicide et dépression: "Suicide et sexualité sont encore aujourd'hui en France des sujets relativement tabous. De nombreux experts estiment que les statistiques sur le suicide sont sous-évaluées. De plus, à la différence des États-Unis, du Canada et de l'Italie, aucune étude n'a été menée à ce jour sur les risques suicidaires dans la population des jeunes gais et lesbiennes et celles réalisées sur le suicide chez les jeunes n'interrogent, ni ne prennent en compte les difficultés liées à l'acceptation de l'homosexualité ou de pratiques homosexuelles...

Modes de consommation d’alcool et tentatives de suicide chez l’homme jeune: "Population et méthodes: Il s’agit d’une population exclusivement masculine, représentative des 400 000 sujets sélectionnés tous les ans dans l’ensemble des 10 centres de sélection de métropole [Paris]. 9 758 sujets ont été tirés au sort. 9 270 réponses furent exploitables (taux de participation : 95 %). L’âge moyen est de 20 ans, les extrêmes se situant de 17 à 29 ans. Le taux de réponse aux 119 items de l’autoquestionnaire varie entre 88 % et 99 % selon les questions. L’enquête s’est déroulée entre novembre 1992 et février 1993... Conclusions: ...D’autres facteurs du risque suicidaire, non étudiés en détail, ont été relevés, tels l’usage de drogues illicites, de tabac et l’homosexualité. Parmi les sujets ayant fait un geste suicidaire, un sur deux présente deux facteurs de risque ou plus."

État de la question et pistes de prévention: Synthèse de la journée d’étude organisée le 17 juillet 2001 (PDF Download): "Depression, tentatives de suicide et trise de risque parmis les lecteurs de la presse gay francaise" (Philippe ADAM, Institut de Veille Sanitaire, Saint-Maurice, France): "4753 questionnaires remplis par des hommes... Pour ce qui est des répondants masculins, l ’échantillon se caractérise par une forte représentation des personnes qui vivent en région parisienne (42%) et qui sont allés à l ’université (62%). L ’âge moyen est de 35 ans. La plupart (91%) des répondants se définissent comme gays. La moitié ont un partenaire stable. 12% des répondants sont séropositifs pour le VIH... Nous commencerons par dresser un état des lieux à partir des autodéclarations des répondants. Parmi eux, 17% déclarent avoir déjà fait une tentative de suicide au cours de leur vie... Le graphique précédent montre que le taux de déclaration de tentatives de suicide est déjà à son maximum (27%) parmi les moins de 20 ans puis il décroît régulièrement avec l’âge pour se stabiliser autour de 15% après 35 ans."

Evaluation de l’effet éventuel de la sursuicidalité sur les comportements sexuels à risque chez les jeunes hommes ayant des relations entre eux. Conséquences sur la pratique du dépistage du VIH (PDF Download): "La sursuicidalité des jeunes hommes ayant des relations entre eux (HSH)... Cette étude exploratoire a été réalisée en 2001 en milieu ouvert (à l’occasion d’une manifestation festive) sur un échantillon (n=368; F=55%; âge médian: F=19 ans; [ET=6,7]; H=21 ans; [ET=8]), vivant principalement en région parisienne –sur-représenté en HSH (17%) – rapportant pour environ 12% au moins une tentative de suicide (TS) durant la vie. Les résultats obtenus confirment la sursuicidalité des HSH (30%; p<0.05 ; 6 fois supérieure à celle des hommes hétérosexuels) strictement comparable aux données épidémiologiques disponibles..."

Suicide et tentative de suicide parmi les personnes à orientation homo-/bisexuel: - Prévalence des tentatives de suicide (France) selon le sexe et l’orientation sexuelle... Hommes: 17%. 17%; Femmes: 25%. - Vos avis au sujet de l'homosexualité: "Bonjour à tous.... je m'appelle Vanessa, je vais avoir 20 ans au mois de juin 2003. Je suis homosexuelle (lesbienne, gwenn, comme vous le désirez...). Je n'ai pas choisi d'être comme celà! Je me suis rendue compte malgré moi que j'aimais une femme! Autre chose, c'est grâce à des homophobes comme ceux-ci qu'à mes 17 ans, j'ai fait une tentative de suicide! ...Un jour il a tenté de se suicider mais sa mère est arrivé avant pour éviter la catastrophe. Ensuite il a dit à toutes les personnes qu'il connaissait qu'il était homo. Tout le monde l'a plus où moins accepté mais il est quand même retourné avec un fille à cause de la pression et des regards. Maintenant il vit avec une fille, mais il fait dépression sur dépression, tentative de suicide sur tentative de suicide, il est terriblement malheureux, il ne sort plus beaucoup à cause du regards des gens. En gros, il est en train de se détruire et de mourir tout ça à cause de ces crét... d'homophobes!"

En prison, être homosexuel, c’est la pire des choses: "Mais le pire s’est produit récemment et au moment où vous lisez ce témoignage, mon ami est dans un service psychiatrique, suite à une tentative de suicide. J’ai effectivement appris récemment qu’il a été violé par trois détenus sous les douches quelques jours avant son transfert. Comme d’habitude en prison, ses cris n’ont pas été entendus. Les trois détenus et les surveillants ont probablement tous supposé qu’un homosexuel apprécierait de se faire enculer violemment par des inconnus. En 11 ans, mon ami aura donc subi deux viols en milieu carcéral. Première incarcération : premier viol : transmission du VIH. Deuxième incarcération : second viol : tentative de suicide..."

Les chiffres noirs du suicide: "Selon les nouvelles données de l’Enquête presse gay 2000, que «Têtu» présente en exclusivité, un gay sur six a déjà fait une tentative de suicide. Et les liens entre dépression et prise de risques sexuels font froid dans le dos... Le premier mérite de cette enquête est qu’elle nous donne, enfin, des chiffres précis sur la dépression et les tentatives de suicide chez les gays. Malgré les informations alarmantes en provenance d’autres pays depuis quelques années, ces problématiques, bien documentées chez les hétérosexuels, étaient jusqu’à présent complètement ignorées en ce qui concerne les gays. Parmi les hommes ayant répondu à l’Enquête presse gay, 17 % déclarent avoir déjà fait une tentative de suicide au cours de leur vie, soit environ un homo sur six. Ces données sont similaires à celles de plusieurs enquêtes menées à l’étranger, notamment aux États-Unis..."

Le Refuge: L'Association nationale: Agir contre l'isolement des adolescents attirés par une personne du même sexe. - L'association dresse un constat troublant sur la situation des adolescents homosexuels en France. Face à cet état des lieux, il était urgent de réagir.  Jeanne: "Mon fils s'est suicidé il y a de cela quatre ans, il avait 17 ans. Personne n'a compris ce geste à l'époque, même s'il présentait depuis quelques temps des signes de dépression. Pour moi ce fut un choc. En rangeant ses affaires, j'ai compris, il y a trois an de cela, son " secret ". Je pense que mon fils était homosexuel. J'ai retrouvé des revues érotiques masculines sous son lit et des lettres assez équivoques. Je comprends maintenant cette douleur qui le hantait." -  Le suicide de jeunes homosexuel/le/s. - Et si votre enfant était homosexuel?

L'université euroméditerranéenne des homosexualités: ..."Le ministère s'intéresse également à la santé des lesbiennes, cible du cancer du sein et peu touchée par les campagnes de prévention. Mais surtout, dans le cadre de la prévention du suicide chez les jeunes - l'une des premières causes de mortalité dans cette population -, la DGS mène des actions spécifiques pour prévenir les dégâts générés par l'homophobie. Robert Simon rappelait « il y a un lien très fort entre violation des droits de l'Homme et santé »." - Suicide : un risque plus eleve chez les jeunes homosexuels. - La place de l'homosexualité dans l'éducation sexuelle en milieu scolaire: L'homosexualité à l'adolescence. - Adolescence, Homosexualité et Violence - Projet Daphné. - Adolescence et homosexualité: souffrance, tabou social et inertie éducative. - Autour du coming-out: Quand la sortie est mal acceptée par la famille Réfléchir avant de sortir de son placard.

Le suicide du jeune gai, réalité ou mythe? - Les adolescents homosexuels et le suicide: "Notre propos ne portera pas sur l'interprétation à donner aux articles de Gageure, mais il nous a semblé important de les évoquer afin de montrer à quel point la question peut être tabou tant chez les homos que chez les hétéros. Pour aborder le plus objectivement possible la question du suicide chez les adolescents homos ou bisexuels, il faut avant tout présenter ces statistiques que certains mettent en doute..." - Controverse sur l'existence d'un risque accru de suicide chez les jeunes homosexuels.

Le suicide révèle la souffrance singulière des jeunes homosexuels: "Les résultats préliminaires du travail de Marc Shelly, médecin de santé publique et responsable du centre de dépistage anonyme et gratuit de l’hôpital parisien Fernand-Widal, font apparaître que, "toutes choses égales par ailleurs" ­ âge, lieu de résidence, niveau d’études, catégorie socioprofessionnelle, structure familiale parentale, modes de vie (couple ou célibat) ­, les jeunes homosexuels ont treize fois plus de risque de faire une tentative de suicide que les jeunes hétérosexuels. Ces résultats confirment les chiffres issus des études américaines, canadiennes et australiennes : elles aboutissent, chez les homosexuels, à des chiffres de "sursuicidalité" variant de six à treize." - Prévention du suicide et pratiques de réseaux-congrès international-Liège du 18 au22/11/2002: " Les résultats obtenus : • confirment la sursuicidalité des HSH (30% ; p<0.05 ; 6 fois supérieure à celle des hommes hétérosexuels..." - Suicide des jeunes : premiers chiffres français. - Péril suicidaire chez les jeunes homos: Une enquête indépendante révèle qu’un homo ou bisexuel homme a treize fois plus de risques de faire une tentative de suicide qu’un hétérosexuel. Extrait de l’article paru dans liberation.fr.

A French politicians outs himself and states the following (N/A): "Je suis et resterai persuadé que plus de visibilité (de tous en général, mais des hommes et femmes publics en particulier) éviterait sans doute un certain nombre de suicides de jeunes (ou moins jeunes homosexuels)." - Les suicides: " En réfléchissant à cette première tentative des années plus tard, il est possible que cela soit le refoulement de mon homosexualité qui était encore endormie, je me souviens étant à l'internat à cette époque dans une école d'horticulture, dans le dortoir le thème homo avait été employé et d'ailleurs certains mecs étaient passé à la pratique pendant la nuit et que moi je ne savais pas ou j'en étais, le sexe, la masturbation était inconnue jusqu'à 20ans environ...  Pourtant de nouveau quelques années plus tard je fais ma deuxième tentative de suicide, juste environ 1an avant mon coming out, pourquoi cette nouvelle tentative de me supprimer, je ne le sais toujours pas, je sais que je suis quelqu'un de très différent des autres, plutôt fragile, c'est comme ça surtout que je suis en pleine période d'anorexie physique et mentale, je veux un suicide rapide et aussi un suicide morbide, j'ai décidé de ne plus manger et de me laisser mourir à petit feu..."

Pas de mission sur le suicide pour Christine Boutin (communiqué Inter-LGBT - 26 mai 2003): "A l'unanimité, le Conseil de l'Interassociative lesbienne, gaie bi et trans, réuni ce samedi 24 mai, a voté une décision demandant à Jean-Pierre Raffarin de retirer la mission qu'il a confiée à Christine Boutin sur les taux de suicide en France (cf. décision ci-dessous). Constatant que "Christine Boutin s'est faite le relais d'une homophobie des plus violentes, et sans doute des plus destructrices auprès des jeunes en construction de leur identité", le Conseil de l'Inter-LGBT estime que "la mission confiée par le Premier Ministre à Christine Boutin est une provocation à l'égard des associations LGBT". Les associations font remarquer que la députée " a offert une tribune inédite à une haine homophobe qu'elle n'inscrira probablement pas dans son rapport comme une cause de suicide"." - Ex Aequo écrit à Christine Boutin sur le suicide des jeunes gays. - Suicide, prévention : deviner le risque chez l'adolescent. - Le suicide à l'adolescence. - Communiqué de Presse - Suicide des Jeunes: "Suite à la publication du rapport 2001 de l'INSERM sur le suicide des jeunes, l'association DEGEL constate qu'une fois de plus le problème du suicide chez les jeunes gais et lesbiennes est totalement occulté. Or, des études Nord-Américaines réalisées au cours des dix dernières années révèlent que le risque d'attenter à sa vie pour un-e jeune homo est sept fois plus important que pour un jeune hétéro. En France aucune étude prise en charge par l’Etat n’a été faite à ce jour."

Italy / Italie: - Enquête Italienne: (Must Scroll) "L'Associazione gay e lesbica de Florence a mis en place une enquête sur internet à laquelle 800 gais et lesbiennes du monde entier ont répondu (les deux tiers des réponses provenaient d'Europe). Cette enquête fait suite à une série de suicides de jeunes gais en Sardaigne, en Sicile (immolation par le feu) et en Lombardie ainsi qu'à la mise à mort publique d'un jeune homosexuel par son père à Foggia dans les Pouilles. Les résultats de l'enquête internet sont frappants. Si 65 % des gais et 61 % des lesbiennes avouent avoir pensé au suicide, 22 % des hommes et 21 % des femmes ont effectivement un jour tenté de mettre fin à leur jour. 28 % des répondants ont effectué un traitement psychologique ou psychiatrique (11 % contre leur volonté). Enfin la moitié environ des ques­tionnaires fait état de violences subies en raison de l'orientation sexuelle, ces violences pouvant être physiques (le plus souvent les parents et les camarades d'école), psychologiques ou sexuelles."

Le suicide de jeunes homosexuel/le/s: "En Italie, par exemple, selon une enquête réalisée dans le cadre du programme Daphné financé par l'Union européenne, 40 % des personnes interrogées avaient envisagé le suicide, et 13 % avaient tenté de se suicider. C'est dans la tranche d'âge des 14-16 ans que prévalaient les idées de suicide, tandis que les tentatives de suicide avaient généralement lieu entre 16 et 18 ans." - Situation des lesbiennes et des gays dans les États membres du Conseil de l'Europe:  "En Italie, par exemple, selon une enquête réalisée dans le cadre du programme Daphné financé par l'Union européenne, 40 % des personnes interrogées avaient envisagé le suicide, et 13 % avaient tenté de se suicider. C'est dans la tranche d'âge des 14-16 ans que prévalaient les idées de suicide, tandis que les tentatives de suicide avaient généralement lieu entre 16 et 18 ans."

Italy has been rocked by the suicide of a teenager who was subjected to anti-gay taunts at school:  According to Italy's Gay Help Line, more than one third of the calls it gets are from students distressed by taunting and bullying at school. On Friday homophobic graffiti was sprayed across the front of a well-known gay and lesbian bookshop in Milan. Also on Friday, the Rome chapter of Arcigay claimed that local priests were pressuring mothers to have their gay children exorcised. Arcigay also complained about RAI state TV broadcaster news reports implying that the dead boy was picked on not because he was gay but because he was seen as a 'swot'..."

Belgium / Belgique:- A study referenced on the Unit for Suicide Research's Current Research Page. Study Title: Controlled cross-sectional study of suicidal thoughts, impulses, and behaviour among homosexual adolescents. - Homosexualité et suicide: liaisons dangereuses? - Les jeunes gays et lesbiennes et le suicide: etat de la question et listes de prevention. - État de la question et pistes de prévention: Synthèse de la journée d’étude organisée le 17 juillet 2001 (PDF Download).

Le taux des tentatives de suicide est plus élevé chez les jeunes homosexuels (6 octobre 1998, Must Scroll): "Une étude menée en Flandres par l'université de Gand montre que les jeunes homosexuels de 15 à 25 ans ont 2 à 5 fois plus de risque de tenter un suicide que les jeunes hétérosexuels. 25% des femmes bisexuelles ou lesbiennes et 13% des hommes homosexuels avaient tenté un suicide, contre 5.4% des femmes et 5.9% des hommes hétérosexuel-le-s. 45% des femmes bisexuelles ou lesbiennes et 33% des hommes homosexuels avaient envisagé un suicide, contre 24% des femmes et 16% des hommes hétérosexuel-le-s. L'étude a été conduite par le sociologue John Vincke et le psychologue Kees van Heeringen auprès de 404 jeunes, homosexuels pour la moitié et présentée au 7ème Symposium Européen « The Suicidal Process: Challenges for Treatment and Prevention » du 9 au 12 septembre.

Switzerland / Suisse: - Un jeune gai sur quatre a tenté de se suicider! - Statistiques relatives aux tentatives de suicide commises par les adolescents homosexuel(le)s. (Must Scroll) - Parler d'homosexualité à l'école? La question gay déchire leRoyaume-Uni. (Et la situation en Suisse?) - Un jeune gay sur quatre a tenté de se suicider: "Selon une étude suisse, les garçons âgés entre 13 et 17 ans qui aiment les garçons traversent une crise profonde. Le psychiatre lausannois Pierre Cochand propose d'aborder le sujet dans les écoles. Il note que plus on parle des comportements homosexuels, plus leur fréquence diminue..." -   Suicide et tentative de suicide parmi les personnes à orientation homo-/bisexuel.

Etude et statistiques sur les jeunes gays en Suisse Romande: - Le questionnaire ciblait explicitement des jeunes hommes de 16 à 25 ans... Durant ces 6 derniers mois, avez-vous eu des idées de suicide? non, jamais: 68.3%; oui, rarement: 16.3%; oui, parfois: 9.8%; oui, souvent: 5.7%... Avez-vous par le passé tenté de vous suicider? Oui: 24.4%; Non: 74.4%; ne répond pas: 1.6%. Echantillion: n = 102 jeune hommes homosexuels et bisexuels.

Germany / Allemagne: - A study summary from - Statistiques relatives aux tentatives de suicide commises par les adolescents homosexuel(le)s: 217 GLB individuals aged 15 - 27 years. 18% have attempted suicide at least once, 50% responded to negatively in their families, and 66% were abuse verbally and/or physically in their families. Reference cited:"Sie liebt sie. Er liebt er." Etude berlinoise sur la situation psychosociale des adolescents homosexuels (217 personnes entre 15 et 27 ans), Administration du Sénat, Berlin, 1999 (www.sensjs.berlin.de). Study Summary (Etude et statistiques sur les jeunes gays en Suisse Romande): 18% des adolescents homosexuel(le)s affirment avoir tenté au moins une fois de mettre fin à leur jours. A l'annonce de leur homosexualité, plus de 50% des adolescents reçoivent une réaction négative de la part de leur environnement familial. 66% affirment subir des violences verbales, voire physiques au sein de leur famille. Plus de 50% des adolescents interrogés affirment (ab)user de substances nocives (tabac, alcool, drogues) pour amenuiser leur mal-être. "Sie liebt sie. Er liebt er." Etude berlinoise sur la situation psychosociale des adolescents homosexuels (217 personnes entre 15 et 27 ans), Administration du Sénat, Berlin, 1999 (www.sensjs.berlin.de).

Slovenia: - "Tednik" also conducted an interview with gay leader Sandi Perdih at the largest cemetery in Ljubljana, the capital, as Perdih paid his respects to gays who were driven to suicide by homophobia N/A.  (Must scroll to locate article.) - Alternate Link.

Hungary: - A father wrote, that his son was gay. His wife, the sons mother, couldnt accept it and attacked her son. He committed suicide. She couldn't cope with that and she also committed suicide."

Romania: - The right that dares not speak its name: "Two young gay men from the Romanian town of Timisoara, Mirel Ciprian Cucu and Milorad Mutascu, who had been living together in a flat, were arrested in January 1993. Mirel Cucu was charged with having sexual relations with a person of the same sex. Milorad Mutascu was charged with relations with a minor (a heterosexual relationship between people of the same ages as Cucu and Mutascu would have been lawful). They received suspended sentences of one and two years respectively. The two men also faced vilification in the official police newspaper which published their names, photographs and addresses even before formal charges had been brought against them. The paper described their relationship as a 'social danger'. Milorad Mutascu was subsequently unable to find work because of his 'criminal' record. Two years after his trial, he committed suicide." -  Looking For Acceptance: "The conference heard testimonies from older participants who had attempted suicide or been subjected to blackmail; almost without exception, most had chosen to live a clandestine life, either with a partner or more likely alone, to escape the attention of a state which in the Ceausescu era, gaoled homosexuals and subjected them to electric shock treatment."

Greece: - Konstantin Tsolakis on the persecution of gay people in Greece: "I grew up in a society that still considers homosexuality a grave taboo, despite the fact that it ceased to be illegal a long time ago. I will never forget watching the Greek Orthodox archbishop, Christodoulos, preaching on television that “all homosexuals are sinners and will definitely end up in Hell,” imagine the impact that had on me, a gay boy of 17, struggling to come to terms with my sexuality in a country where gays are constantly humiliated, albeit mainly verbally, in the media, the tabloids and everyday conversations one happens to overhear. During the summer, a young gay man committed suicide in jail after being arrested in a police raid in an Athenian gay bar, giving thus “proof” to many conservative Greeks of homosexuality’s “ungodly” nature that “only leads men to destruction.”" - Gay activists stage public kiss protest in downtown Athens. (Article on Doc Download) - Gay, transvestite activists stage public kiss demo in downtown Athens.

Sweden / Suède: - La Suède aux prises avec un grave taux de suicide. - Justin Lundsten: "I suppose I should devote my first column to myself. So read my life story, and I hope you enjoy it, that's why it's here... I have been clear with my sexuality as long as I can remember. I can't say a date or a year when it "came to me" that I was gay. But it is only in the last few years that I have realized what it means. I slipped in to a depression and cried a lot. I didn't meet any new people, or went with my friends out or to parties. I isolated myself, living of my own egoism. I even thought of committing suicide! ..." - Le suicide inquiète en Suède. - Les communes doivent se mobiliser contre le suicide des jeunes homosexuels. - Stockholm veut aider les jeunes homos, bi et transsexuels.

Norway: - "The need for developing strategies for suicide prevention among young lesbian women and gay men: empirical and theoretical rationales written on the subject," was presented at the Conference on the Status of Nordic Health Promotion Research: Progress during the Decade after the Ottawa Charter. - The National Plan for Suicide Prevention 1994-1998: Chapter 3: Homosexuality mentioned without explanations. - A web page on Norway's GLBT suicide problems. - Friis, Eva: Suicide and suicide prevention among gays and lesbians (First published in the Norwegian journal Suicidologi 1998, no. 3.) - Is there an elevated risk of attempted suicide among homosexual adolescents? - Suicide Attempts among Norwegian Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youths.

Denmark: Qin P, Agerbo E, Mortensen PB (2003).  Suicide risk in relation to socioeconomic, demographic,  psychiatric, and familial factors: a national register-based  study of all suicides in Denmark, 1981-1997.  American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(4):765-72. (Abstract): "...registered [same-sex] partners included as a separate category  in the analysis had an odds ratio of 4.31 (95% CI= 2.23–8.36)  in the crude analysis and 3.63 (95% CI=1.71– 7.67) in analyses with adjustment for other factors in the full model [for having committed suicide compared to opposite-sex married couples]".

Homosexuality by Marte Nathalie: "A statistic bureau in Norway recently released a study on the life-quality amongst young people that love someone from the same sex. The results are shocking. One out of four had tried to commit suicide! Half of the people asked didn't dare to tell even their closest friends that they were gay. Many had gone through tough times with their families, some had even been thrown out on the streets when they told they were gay."
 

Caribbean:

Trinidad: Jessie: I had to visit delusive shrinks who got rich off of my  misery.  I still have this scar on my wrist, an ugly memento of the power he once had over my decision to live or die. I may never get to tell him, "Even after all the blows, ostracism and emotional turmoil, I'm still gay... - NM:  "I hate the fact that I hurt inwardly and no one can tell. I hate the inalienable truth that being gay is like living a whole other existence...  I had that happy place in my mind that I would retreat to whenever everything was bad. However everytime I retreated into it, it grew smaller until there was nothing left. Now when I really need it there is nothing that I could go to. I need that place and I have to find it back otherwise I will end up doing something really drastic. Right now, I need to retreat into that place otherwise I swear I am going to go mad." - Trinicontact: "But finally, deciding that telling everybody I was gay would be marginally more fun than committing suicide... One of the big things I get is that homosexuality wrong, but because this is a free country I can be gay if I want. This is an improvement over the kill-the-faggots attitude of #7, but still not good enough." - Homophobia and gay youth suicide: two interrelated destructive forces in our society: "The recent suicide of Surajdeo Lall is a prime example. This young gay man committed suicide at his work place just after some co-workers outed and harassed him."
 

Asia:

China: - Chinese lesbians commit suicide (N/A).  (Must scroll to locate information.)

Korea: Life and Death in Queer Korea: "I consider myself lucky, though. Between 1997 and 1999, three of my gay friends in South Korea committed suicide. In May 1998, Oh disclosed his homosexuality to his family. They immediately rejected him and expelled him from their home. After living and suffering on the streets for months, and at one point sleeping in an office, Oh killed himself. The other two went to Seoul National University, which is South Korea's Harvard or Yale. One was in Law School; the other was a graduate student in biology. Their success in society was "guaranteed." However, when they came to the age of marriage, they both faced a brutal dilemma. Neither wanted to marry. But they also didn't want to disown their families and disappoint their parents. So, they chose to kill themselves. One in 1997, the other in 1999. No funerals were held for these three young men: their families considered them "bad" sons..."

Hong Kong: Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing commits suicide.

Singapore: From Aunt Webby: Being gay, in the closet, and suicidal in Singapore (N/A).

Thailand: A problem of image: Life in Thailand's twilight zone: Mention the word katoey and Thais immediately think of the slightly soiled image of the feminine end of the gay spectrum - the man dolled up as woman, the limp wrist and exaggerated postures of the lady-boy. But as Thai gays seek a higher level of social acceptance, so the country's transvestites and transsexuals are trying to cast off their image as the unacceptable face of homosexuality... Still, all is not well in the sexual twilight zone. Trapped in the wrong gender, sometimes desperate to make the change from male to female, katoey are often prone to depression, anger and rash behavior. A minority turn to prostitution, others to crime. According to Peter Jackson, author of Dear Uncle Go: Male Homosexuality in Thailand, a large percentage of Thai transsexuals kill themselves." - Sporty Little Number: Thai audiences are lapping up a controversial movie that deals with gay and transsexual issues: "A box-office smash, Satree Lex, chronicles the country's gender-bending 1996 volleyball champion... the lead characters include a lesbian and five katoey - a Thai term that covers transsexuals, transvestites and effeminate gay men."

Malaysia: - Religion and Me: "In Islam, no one really wants to talks about sex. I don't dare confront my parents about what is sex. I've been to some religious talks and stuff, especially if it deals with the topic of sexuality and homosexuality. What I really hate about going to such a gathering is that, usually it gets me mad...furious actually. There's no actual revelation about what is gay, just basically people condemning gays without any reason why, and joking about it. When the speaker jokes about the number of gays that committed suicide, that's something that really saddens me: how Muslims value human life as some kind of a joke! That...and I am also a suicide survivor, so I take it as a personal attack on myself. Hey, I'm all into freedom of opinion and beliefs, but no way I'm listening to some ignorant fool talking nonsense. - Malyasia: Homosexuality And The Church Dialogue: "They are living a double life ? putting up a happy mask upfront in the church and society, but privately suffering from shame and guilt because of their homosexual inclinations.
Or they resort to committing suicide to ease the pressure from family and society..."

Sri Lanka: - The founder of a gay-rights group in Sri Lanka: ""Often Sri Lankan homosexuals have committed suicide because they had no support from their families, from their community and from the state," de Rose said. "We want to change that attitude.""

India: - Transcript of CNN coverage of homosexuality in India: "- SATPATHY: I thought better to commit suicide and get lost, that would be the best thing I thought. BINDRA: Satpathy says he attempted suicide twice again. He says his family was sympathetic, but he moved thousands of miles to Mumbai to save his family members further shame and humiliation. Satpathy's agony is shared by thousands of other gays, and they are slowly sharing their experiences in cyberspace. Mumbai's first gay site, gaybombay.com, gets 800 hits a week. The site was put together by Bhavesh Kharia. Until just a few months ago, Kharia says, people were even scared to come out on the net. Now gays are using their real names on the net, a cyberspace network of gays is slowly evolving. BHAVESH KHARIA, WEB DESIGNER: Most of the concern is we don't want our parents to find out. You feel that you are somehow letting them down. And that's where the guilt and the shame comes in..." - Adams  turning to Adams for the apple (Must Scroll): "he does not want to marry a girl, but a boy, his partner for a year, now. Robin is a gay, a homosexual. Recently, he attempted suicide after his parents resisted his plans to marry his partner, but he has no regrets and wears the gay badge with pride. Having a brilliant academic background and being well-informed, he presents his case strongly..."

Is there anything gay about them? " Recently, Baguiati residents Nisha Singh and Nisha Upadhyay committed suicide. The reason was the refusal of society to accept their same-sex love. In the past two years, this is the fourth such incident in the state where couples have ended their lives. So, how difficult is it for city lesbians to stay afloat in such an unsympathetic environment? Says Malobika, spokesperson of Sappho, Kolkata's first lesbian organisation, "It is very unfortunate that two young girls had to commit suicide only because of lack of social acceptance. Until and unless Section 377 of IPC is amended, we are simply helpless. Earlier lesbians usually came from the elite class. But now, there is no class barrier as such. Two girls, who worked as domestic helps in North 24 Parganas, had committed suicide in January this year. If homosexuality wasn't considered a crime, we could have lodged a complaint against the parents for abetting suicide." ... Not just in West Bengal, the rate of same sex couple suicide is on the rise throughout India, says the record books of Sappho. "Even in Kerala, more than 45 couples have committed suicide in the past five years,"Malobika adds."

Pakistan: Gays and lesbians in the Muslim community are quietly shattering one of the final taboos of Islam."[He] attempted suicide twice before he turned 18. "Growing up in Lahore, Pakistan, the eldest son of devout Muslim parents, he could never come to terms with, let alone explore, his attraction to other men. His best attempts to fake interest in girls failed to impress his peers, who began to bully the self-described "effeminate" man..."
 

Africa:

South Africa: - If they are discovered to be gay at school they are often sent to psychologists as if they had a disease. You find many of them on the streets, or they commit suicide (N/A). (Must scroll to locate article.). A SA study of gay males that also reports on gay male youth suicide problems.

Zimbabwe: Carlos Mpofu, from Bulowayo, Zimbabwe, was twenty years old when our researcher spoke to him in 2000... I first realized about my sexuality when I was about twelve. I realized I wasn't attracted to girls: my first wet dream wasn't with a girl, but a man. It first made me think of the sexual side, and what side I was on. And then I was always a feminine child. But I didn't have a word for it. The only word I knew was incubikile-an Ndebele word, but it wasn't specific for gays, it meant anyone who was handicapped or deformed.... I was suicidal for about a month. I attempted to commit suicide; but my friends found me and revived me... I was very depressed again. I moved out of the house permanently, and became a heavy drinker. My home became the nightclubs; in the day I slept at my friend "Teresa's" place. I went way down below zero. I became down and out, in the dumps, as we say in gay circles. I was very promiscuous, in and out of everybody's bed, leading a very dangerous life. I began to realize the type of gay men we have in the city. I had no contact with my family for a while; I stopped thinking about HIV/AIDS; I knew all the blackmailers. I attempted suicide again..."

Zimbabwe: - Pangi Nyathi, Zimbabwean Gay Leader, Commits Suicide.

Eritrea: Legal but not accepted: "BtM: What is the problem facing individual gays, governmental homophobic behaviour, as well as discrimination? M: Some of them who I meet are HIV positive, they don't have any awareness as gays that they should use a condom, they think condoms are only for heterosexuals. Most of them are in confusion, they don't have interest to accept who they are. One of my close friends goes to church to get cured. Another one killed himself a year ago. But, no one, not even his family knew on what grounds he committed suicide. Only me and other friends of mine knew..."

Cameroun: - Suicide et homosexualité en Afrique: le cas du Cameroun: Si d’après cette thèse l’homosexualité n’existe pas en Afrique, comment peut-on en plus parler de suicide chez une catégorie de la population, qui est déniée ? Cependant l’étude récente que nous avons menée au Cameroun, a mis en exergue l’existence de l’homosexualité en Afrique en général, et au Cameroun en particulier. L’homosexualité au Cameroun ne relève pas du mythe, c’est une réalité observable... De tout ce qui précède, il ressort que l’attitude sociale réprobatrice vis-à-vis de l’homosexualité, peut être un facteur majeur, mais pas principal, de suicide chez les homosexuels. Cependant, le Cameroun a ceci de particulier que face à cette hostilité, les homosexuels ne pensent pas au suicide. A la place ils préfèrent jouer au jeu que la société aime observer, en se dotant d’un partenaire de l’autre sexe pour se faire accepter, tout en maintenant leur activité homosexuelle de manière cachée. C’est que nous avons désigné comme une stratégie de camouflage et le partenaire de l’autre sexe dont se sert est désigné par les gais au Cameroun sous le terme de « nfinga ».
 

Middle East / Central Asia:

Israel: - For gay Israeli youth, suicide rate soars high. - Political Council for Gay Rights in Israel.

LGBT Jews on Campus: "For openly gay students, or those just coming to terms with their sexuality, however, the extra pressure of fearing reactions from within the Jewish community too often prevents them from comfortably walking into a Jewish organization. Making strides in this area - the welcoming of gay and lesbian Jews into Jewish organizations and institutions - is at the heart of Jewish LGBT activism. Working towards inclusion is not limited to liberal Jewish communities. A Hasidic rabbi at the Jerusalem Open House (Israel's gay and lesbian community center) now offers support and a listening ear, after one of his students  committed suicide when not one Jew from his traditional community offered support. Now the rabbi volunteers his time so that we never have to suffer another loss like this."

Lebanon / Le Liban: - "Homosexualités et suicide: témoignages cliniques et contribution au débat à partir du Liban" par Jean-Luc Vannier.

Iran: - Physician heal thyself: "Internalized homophobia is the toxic shame, some of us feel for having come out to our friends and families. We think we have brought shame onto our Iranian families for coming out. We all have heard or know of gay Iranians who committed suicide over extreme rejections they experienced after coming out to their friends and families. Many gay Iranians who are dominated by the demon of internalized homophobia get married and pretend they are something they are not and deny themselves the chance of living an authentic life; A life that is based on silencing our true voice and murdering our genuine homoerotic feelings. Many gay physicians have been using their surgical knife to cut themselves off from their gay feelings, and letting the cancer of inner homophobia grow. Because many of us were made to believe that we are less for being gay and have no right to express who we are nor deserve to have love, we act out the rage we have for being treated less than. This rage, due to years of mistreatment and abuse, is expressed unconsciously and can take the form of drug abuse, bareback sex, or suicide attempts." - Inquest finds asylum refusal was motive for gay Iranian's suicide.- The Dangers of Being Young, Gay and Iranian: "One of my dear friends, Nima, commited suicide a month ago in Shiraz. He just couldn't take it anymore."

On August 11, The Trevor Project launched The Trevor Helpline, the first round-the-clock national toll-free suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth. It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Teens with nowhere to turn can call 1-866-4-U-TREVOR. - Gay and Lesbian Helpline (1-888) 340-4528: The national toll-free Gay and Lesbian Helpline is operated by Fenway Community Health Center in Boston. It provides free confidential information, referrals, crisis intervention, and support to callers seven evenings a week. Typical topics include safer sex and coming out. Typical topics include safer sex and coming out. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Helpline - 617-267-9001 - Toll-free 888-340-4528. - Peer Listening Line 1-617-267-2535. Toll-free 1-800-399-PEER (1-800-399-7337).  USA: Suicide & Crisis Lines. 

Kids Help Phone, Canada: 1-800-668-6868 - The Youth Line is a phone line for youth in Ontario, Canada: You are not alone! You can call the Lesbian Gay Bi Youth Line at 1-800-268-YOUTH (1-800-268-9688) across Ontario, or (416) 962-YOUTH (962-9688) in the 416/905 local calling area.

Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - The "Proteus" Super-Search System is recommended (See also Proteus Original). - Best Search Engine on Proteus is: Google!  If you are searching for a string of word together, such as a title, forget not to place what is sought in quotation marks. Example: "Death by Denial". - Bing Search by MSN is also a good search engine. For all types of search engines, see Wikipedia listing. - Search the QRD.
 

The development of this GBLT information web-pages was made possible through the collaboration of Richard Ramsay (Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary) and Pierre Tremblay (independent researcher, writer, and GLBT children/youth advocate) who both recognize that often needed social changes occur as the result of knowledge availability and dissemination.

Graphics are compliments of Websight West. The Synergy Centre donated computer/Internet time to facilitate the construction of this GLBT information site.

The information made available on this web-page does not represent all the relevant information available on the Internet, nor in professional journals and in other publications. Nonetheless, a wealth of information on GLB suicide problems has been made available.

This web-page was constructed to supply a spectrum of information to individuals who may be seeking to understand one or more of the many gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues.

Professional Education - - Counseling  &  Therapy - - Identity Formation  &  Coming Out - - Homo-Negativity / Phobia - - Lesbian  &  Bisexual Women - - Transgender / Tranvestite / Transsexual - - Bisexuality - - Public School Issues - - Religion  &  Spirituality - - Homosexuality:  Biological  or  Learned ? - - "Of Colour " :  North American  &  International - - Male  Youth ProstitutionDrug / Alcohol Use / Abuse /  Addiction - - HIV- AIDS - - GLBT  History - - Community Attributes  &  Problems - - Couples / Families/ Children / Adoption / Spousal Violence -- The Elderly -- Latin America and Africa - - Asia and The Middle East.

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