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from Medical Issues
Gay Teens and Attempted Suicide
By Dale O'Leary
Self-identified gay teenagers are at greater risk than
straight teenagers to attempt suicide. Gay activists say this problem is
due to social homophobia, and that it will be remedied when
society puts its stamp of approval on homosexuality.
Activists have grossly exaggerated the number of gay teenagers
who have actually died by suicide (1). Nevertheless there is
substantial evidence that such teenagers are at greater risk to
attempt suicide, and thus it is important to examine the possible
contributing factors.
Researchers Remafedi, Farrow, and Deisher (2) compared gay and
bisexual adolescents who had attempted suicide, to a group of
those who had not. The two groups totalled 137 males, aged 14 to 21.
Of that number, 41 (30%) had made at least one suicide attempt.
From this study we see that gay teens that attempt suicide tend
to be involved to an alarming degree in drug use, early sexual
activity, and prostitution--activities which also predominate in
the histories of straight teens who attempt suicide.
The researchers say that suicide attempts appear to be related
to "'coming out' at a younger age, gender atypicality, low
self-esteem, substance abuse, running away, involvement in
prostitution, and other psychosocial morbidities." In 44% of cases, subjects
attributed the suicide attempts to "'family problems,' including
conflict with family members and parents' marital discord, divorce,
or alcoholism."
In fact, psychology has long known that homosexuality is
associated with dysfunctional family structures. Statistically, gay men
tend to report poor childhood relationships with their fathers,
while lesbian women tend to report poor childhood relationships
with their mothers (Bell, Weinberg and Hammersmith). Thus
"society's oppression" seems a simplistic and misleading explanation for
suicidal ideation in gay teenagers.
Among the Remafedi study's findings:
Early Self-Identification as Gay: Subjects who had viewed
themselves as homosexual or bisexual at an earlier age were more
likely to attempt suicide.
Early Sexual Activity: Teens who had attempted suicide were
more likely to have had sexual experiences at an early age.
Broken Homes: Only 27% of suicide attempters had parents who
were married (vs. 50% of the non-attempters).
Sexual Molestation: 61% of the suicide attempters had been
sexually abused (vs. only 29% of the non-attempters).
Illegal Drug Use: 85% of the attempters had used illicit
drugs (vs. 63% of non-attempters).
Illegal Activities: 51% of the attempters had been arrested
(vs. only 28% of non-attempters).
Prostitution: 29% of the attempters had been involved in
prostitution (vs. 17% of non-attempters).
Gender Conflicts: 36.6% of the attempters were classified
as feminine (vs. 17.7% of non-attempters).
Effeminate Gay Males are Most at Risk
Homosexually-oriented adolescents classified as "feminine" are
at the highest risk for suicide attempts, drug abuse,
prostitution, arrest, and, by implication, the deadly health problems
associated with unprotected anal sex. The earlier these teens
self-identify as homosexual, and the more "out" they are, the greater the risk
of negative lifestyle factors, according to the study.
Why is Treatment Not Recommended?
The tragedy is that there is a treatment for effeminate
boys, starting at toddler age, who suffer from Gender Identity
Disorder of Childhood -- that is, males who report the persistent wish to
be a female. Boys who learn to be happy about being boys are far
less likely to suffer the scapegoating and peer rejection that
isolates them from contact with their own gender and thus prevents
normal male bonding experiences.
Most prehomosexual boys are not explicitly effeminate, but
nonetheless are experiencing gender-identity conflict, same-sex peer
isolation, and a sense of alienation from their fathers. The same
is true for girls who are suffering from gender-identity
conflict. Treatment is available for these children, but instead
psychotherapists often use the politically correct approach to "accept
oneself as gay" rather than addressing the root problem of gender
alienation.
Parents concerned about prehomosexuality in their children are
often told by their pediatricians not to worry, that no treatment
is available, and that the child is genetically destined to be
homosexual--even though research scientists know that homosexuality
is likely due to a combination of temperamental characteristics
such as sensitivity or risk avoidance, environmental influences,
and learned behavior patterns, and is not simply "inborn" and
predetermined like eye color.
The Problem of Sexual Abuse
When an adolescent self-identifies as gay or bisexual,
health-care professionals should ask, "Was this child sexually abused?"
The Remafedi study reveals that 61% of self-identified gay teens
who had attempted suicide had a history of sexual abuse. Sometimes
a boy may not recognize an early sexual experience as abuse, but
instead see it as confirmation that he is homosexual. Even
adults may fail to see the incident as abuse when the abuser is
another same-sexed child or adolescent. An experience of same-sex sex
often establishes a lifelong sexual habit pattern in a child who
is starved for same-sex attention, affection and affirmation.
The gay lobby has demanded that boys with GID be labeled
as prehomosexual, and that schools and psychotherapists counsel
their parents to accept the condition as normal, desirable, and
unchangeable. Parents, however, have a right to know the truth, and
to have access to treatment.
Today, schools issue dire warnings on the (comparatively
miniscule) dangers of smoking, and tobacco companies have become liable
in some cases for damages. Someday, perhaps, parents who
have watched a son die of AIDS will decide to sue their
pediatrician because when they brought the child for treatment for GID,
they were told not to worry, or that nothing could be done. Perhaps
the parents of another boy will bring suit against a school
system which labeled the child as unchangeably homosexual and turned
him over to a gay support group, where he contracted AIDS.
In both cases, proper diagnosis and treatment might have
prevented a negative outcome.
References
1. LaBarbera, Peter, "Gay Youth Suicide: Myth is Used to
Promote Homosexual Agenda," published by the Family Research Council.
2. Remafedi, G., Farrow, J., Deisher, R. (1991) "Risk factors
for attempted suicide in gay and bisexual youth,"
Pediatrics 87: 869 - 875.
3. Bell, A., Weinberg, M.,and Hammersmith, S. (1981)
Sexual Preference. Bloomington, IN: Indiana U. Press.
Updated: 8 February 2008
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