IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER
Yay! In the United States and a growing list of countries around the world, gay people can get married. To many, that says the political fight has been won. But not everything is politics. Some things are just street-level reality. And the reality for LGBTQ youth was clearly shown this week in an authoritative study released by the Centers for Disease Control on August 12, 2016.
The huge study on health-related factors for high school students showed that, in comparison to their str8 counterparts, LGBTQ youth are:
1.58 times more likely to be injured in a physical fight at school
1.77 times more likely to have illicitly used prescription drugs
1.82 times more likely to be bullied on school property
1.96 times more likely to be threatened/injured with a weapon at school
1.96 times more likely to smoke cigarettes
1.97 times more likely to be bullied online
2.09 times more likely to use hallucinogenic drugs
2.11 times more likely to be a victim of physical assault on a date
2.29 times more likely to feel sad or hopeless
2.49 times more likely to be a victim of sexual assault on a date
2.72 times more likely to skip school because of safety concerns
2.89 times more likely to seriously consider attempting suicide
3.09 times more likely to have used inhalants
3.21 times more likely to make a suicide plan
3.30 times more likely to be forced to have sexual intercourse (raped)
3.90 times more likely to have used meth
4.59 times more likely to attempt suicide
4.62 times more likely to have used heroin
Clearly, the fight for respect, equality and resources for LGBT people is far from over and there is still much work to be done in our community.
snowghoul
annaxmalina
vaporwave
andulkaphoto
blakekathryn
yousharknotpass
