Suicide Awareness and LGBTQ Youth

I want to talk about a very sobering statistic:  LGBTQ youth are 4x’s more likely than their straight peers to attempt suicide.  This statistic is important for everyone to be aware of, but, especially for parents.  What can we do as parents, a community, schools, and in our families to change these statistics?

The number one thing that LGBTQ youth need is ACCEPTANCE. They need to hear the message that they are loved, accepted, valued, and validated no matter what. Other helpful things are gay/straight alliances in schools, watching how we talk about sexual diversity in our homes and communities, and helping teens know of community resources available to help them. Some of these Utah community resources are: the Utah Pride Center, Encircle, LGBTQ Therapist Guild, and The Healing Group.

A great online resource for families is The Family Acceptance Project. This project has training videos, guides, and helps in balancing religious beliefs with helping LGBTQ youth.

This week I went on Radio From Hell to talk about this very important topic. You can listen to it below:

Most importantly, if you or someone you know is in an emergency, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911 immediately. LGBTQ Youth also have access to The Trevor Project Hotline at 1-866-488-7386 with talk or text.