In light of our current evolving and more accepting society, it has become apparent that the LGBTQ+ community has significantly progressed as we have become more aware of these severely oppressed groups of people and have finally made room for the minority. An estimated one in every twelve Americans have identified as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, excluding the myriad of people that have not yet broadcasted their sexuality. However, we still have a long way to go if we want to be able to allow people of all variations to feel safe and accepted. In contrast to our more open society, it has been proven that members of this community still face oppression, discrimination, isolation, low self-esteem, and violence, resulting in them being at a higher risk of suicide and depression, in addition to other mental diseases.
Moreover, it is proven that depression and suicide rates tend to be higher in adolescents as a whole. Therefore, it should be no surprise that there is an increased risk for youth in the LGBTQ+ community as they have to deal with the psychosocial distress associated with being gay (such as gender nonconformity, lack of support, family problems, homelessness, and substance abuse) on top of the typical stressors that come with being a teenager. In fact, gay and lesbian adolescents are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual counterparts, and thirty percent of all youth suicides are related to issues of sexual identity. By noting the changes taking place in the media and the law, it is apparent that being gay is somewhat more accepted and tolerated by today's world. However, gays are still being discriminated against and victimized in more conservative societies such as those present in Texas. Negative experiences faced by LGBTQ+ adolescents in these types of communities can result in lower self-esteem, loss of familial connections, substance abuse, and suicide. This begs the question: What impact does a conservative society in Texas have on the social lives of adolescent members of the LGBTQ+ community?
As societies continue to evolve, oppression and discrimination stemming from more conservative views have been becoming a major issue. As a result, teen depression and suicide rates are increasing at rates we’ve never seen before. Among those who are most affected are lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth between the ages of 10 and 24, with suicide being their second most common cause of death. A negative social environment is linked to high rates of attempted suicide by lesbian, gay and bisexual youth. According to a study in the April 18 issue of Pediatrics, authors of Journal of Homosexuality (1988), Cramer and Roach, indicate that collectively negative attitudes toward homosexuality influence the major decision to come out and that suicidal ideation may not be an indication of pathology as opposed to an impulsive response to negative pressures from society. Contrastingly, studies have shown that teens surrounded by supportive environments show 20 percent fewer suicide attempts overall. However, the positive effects of a supportive environment are not limited to homosexual students, with statistics showing a 9 percent drop in suicide attempts among heterosexual students. A study published by the Nation’s Health newspaper surveyed nearly 32,000 high school juniors and found that lesbian, gay and bisexual teenagers were more than five times as likely to have attempted suicide in the previous 12 months than heterosexual teens. Additionally, a corresponding study published by Mark L. Hatzenbueler, Ph.D., of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, found that if these youth were living in a social environment that was more supportive of gays and lesbians, they were 25 percent less likely to attempt suicide or even have suicidal tendencies. "The results of this study are pretty compelling," Hatzenbueler said. "When communities support their gay young people, and schools adopt anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies that specifically protect lesbian, gay and bisexual youth, the risk of attempted suicide by all young people drops."
Members of the LGBTQ+ community have to face not only an oppressive social environment, but homophobia and violence against them as well, and unfortunately, the number of incidents of violence against gay and lesbian youths has risen. Joyce Hunter, Research Scientist at New York State Psychiatric Institute, reported that of 500 youths surveyed from the Hetrick-Martin Institute (a New York City-based non-profit organization devoted to serving the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning youth), 40 percent reported violent attacks. 46 percent of these reported that the attacks were related to their sexual orientation, and 61 percent of the attacks were within the youths' families. Additionally, 44 percent of the youths who had experienced violence also experienced suicidal ideation. Further, what may be even worse than being violated hated by society because of one's sexuality is being rejected, humiliated, and victimized by one's own family and friends. Gay adolescents have a much greater risk of being thrown out of or opting to leave their homes. A study conducted by Anthony D'Augelli, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Pennsylvania State University, involved 194 gay adolescents between the ages of 14 and 21 and concluded that 15 percent of siblings, 10 percent of mothers, and 26 percent of fathers rejected their gay children when they came out. Goldfried, Professor of Psychology at Stonybrook University, reported that “one out of four homosexuals had experienced physical abuse at school, one out of every three were verbally abused by family members, and one out of ten were physically assaulted by a family member.” A small percentage of only 10 percent to 14 percent of gay adolescents who had not come out to their parents predicted parental acceptance; this fear of experiencing rejection can be a tremendous stressor for anger, depression, repeated stress, feelings of inadequacy, sexual-identity difficulties, and suicidal ideation.
Prevention measures must be implemented in order to avoid difficulties faced by gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths. Many of these measures can take place at schools as they can educate and advocate for youths by providing literature in the library system that portrays gay, lesbian, and bisexual orientations as acceptable. Many school libraries still have outdated books that provide a more conservative outlook and misrepresent homosexuality or bisexuality. Additionally, listening services and peer-counseling phone lines for youths of the LGBTQ+ community have made a recent appearance as technology has advanced throughout the years. Groups such as the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) have formed in many urban areas throughout the United States in order to ensure that families maintain a supportive environment. PFLAG groups can cooperate with the youth support services to increase positive interactions in the youths' systems. Intervention services such as youth shelters, residential programs, and foster care and adoption programs have also been introduced to gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths. For example, the Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS) in West Hollywood, California, designed a comprehensive program that provides supportive living environments for youths in group homes, foster care, adoption, and emancipative living arrangements; outreach to homeless and runaway youths; and education and consultation resources for the West Hollywood and Los Angeles communities. The GLASS programs are “grassroots and exemplify the need for program change in existing intervention programs.” Although these groups receive serious criticism and conservative backlash, the support of local schools and churches; parents' groups; city, state, or provincial governments, and nonprofit organizations allow them to just barely stay in existence. Therefore allowing these youth support groups to reduce isolation and refer those in need of more-intensive professional services to other agencies and programs. With the rise of these prevention measures and community support, youths are able to see that they are not an anomaly and may develop positive self-esteem, resulting in a drop in attempted suicide by LGBTQ+ members.