This morning Metro Weekly began running an article of mine that discusses suicide among gay youth and my own struggle with the issue (http://metroweekly.com/gauge
I decided to make the focus of my article on suicide among gay youth, because it is such a desperate issue. The topic epitomizes the desperate situations that some of our gay youth find themselves in.
As the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force detailed in one recent study, a disproportionate number (between 20 and 40 percent) of homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.* Many of these homeless youth were forced out of their homes by their parents or some left to escape abuse. According to a report from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, as late as 2005 "over a third ( 37.8%) of [all K-12] students experienced physical harassment at school on the basis of sexual orientation and more than a quarter (26.1%) on the basis of their gender expression."** And we know that HIV/AIDS continues to infect the lives of many of our gay youth.
Having worked with and studied the gay youth population over the past six years, I am disappointed that some of our gay youth continue to have such troubled experiences. While many local and national community organizations are working tirelessly to change the outlook for all of our gay youth, the data we are presented with suggest that now is not the time to rest and more still needs to be done.
When I first came out of the closet and became comfortable with my sexuality, I attended a meeting between an LGBT lobbying organization and an aide to the New York State Senate Majority Leader. One portion of the meeting centered on a piece of proposed legislation called the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). The purpose of DASA is to protect all students from harassment and discrimination of any kind in all NYS schools. During the meeting I became impatient with the aide who told us that the Majority Leader needed more time to consider the legislation. I told the aide that while the Majority Leader took all the time in the world to consider it, more and more youth were dying. I was not being dramatic, but I knew firsthand what I was talking about. Delaying movement on the legislation put lives in the balance. However, items considered more important on the agenda that day took priority, and I was told by the lobbyists in the room to shut up and be patient. Today, six years later, DASA still has not passed and the lobbying organization still lists the Majority Leader's position as "unknown or unclear."
When it comes to protecting our gay youth, I do not believe patience is a virtue. Protecting them should not be an agenda item that falls somewhere on a list of topics to discuss, but it should be the top priority. The desperate situations of some of our gay youth require us to act now and not wait to consider their problems tomorrow.
For my part, I am going to continue to do my best to make the issues of our gay youth a priority. I will continue to use my position in our community to raise the issues described above, and I will continue to write about the needs of our youth.
Today, I am also announcing a new website I am starting to track news and research about our gay youth: www.ourgayyouth.com. In the coming months, I hope to expand this site and make it an even greater community forum.
It is my hope that my community and communities all across the nation will continue to focus on the lives of our gay youth. They need your support in whatever way you can give it.
Thank you for helping to make a difference, and I look forward to talking with you all about these issues soon.
Sincerely,
graham.
*http://www.thetaskforce.org
** http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin
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