Suicide Prevention / Harm Reduction
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Maybe you have been getting harassed, humiliated, or physically hurt because you're bisexual, transgender, lesbian or gay … or because someone thinks you are. Maybe you have considered killing yourself. Please rethink it. As hard as it is right now in your life, as alone as you may feel, it won't always be like this. There are plenty of LGBTQ kids all over the world and plenty of straight, non-trans kids who just don't fit the rigid gender rules in their schools. And there are plenty of straight people -- youth and adults --  who respect them. And there are millions of healthy, normal, happy, successful, creative, loved, loving, LGBTQ adults who have made families and found careers … some of whom probably felt kind of like you do when they were teens. Please don't hurt yourself. We need you. You may not know what gifts you have that the world needs or exactly how you will make a difference, but you will. If you let yourself live through this hard stuff. It gets better. Read on for numbers to call and web sites to check out.

If you have a friend or brother or sister thinking about hurting themselves, please tell them you want them to live and read on for numbers to call and web sites to check out.

The Trevor Helpline - this national 24-hour free and confidential toll-free suicide prevention hotline is specifically aimed at gay or questioning youth, geared toward helping those in crisis or anyone wanting information on how to help someone in crisis. All calls are handled by trained counselors who are familiar with gay and questioning youth, and are . Phone: 1-866-4-U-TREVOR (1-866-488-7386).

TrevorSpace: this project of The Trevor Project is a social networking site for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth ages 13 through 24 and their friends and allies.

 

A Public Service Announcement about The Trevor Project by the cast of Queer As Folk,
featuring Sharon Gless, Robert Gant, Thea Gill, & Scott Lowell:

"I'm Glad I Failed" - The Trevor Project, in conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Week (September 7-13), will launch a powerful new ad campaign "I'm Glad I Failed." This effort targets LGBTQ teens who contemplate suicide as a result of homophobia. The ads feature four young people with stories about how intolerance and harassment led them to attempt suicide, and how glad they are that those attempts failed because their lives have changed for the better. The Trevor Project needs your help to maximize exposure of their ads - here are examples of the ads which are on their site with more variations and information:

   

Suicidal Signs - some of the warning signs, from The Trevor Project.

Don't Erase Your Queer Future - from The Trevor Project for LGBTQ youth about suicide.

Befrienders International - not specific to LGBTQ people, this site contains details of local suicide support services in over 40 countries and is translated into seven languages.   

Bill's Story - portrait of a son's suicide by Safe Schools Coalition's webspinner, Gabi Clayton. Bill committed suicide when he was seventeen years old in 1995, a month after he was assaulted in a hate crime based on his sexual orientation.

Darkness Calls - this comic book, inspired, written and illustrated by Steve Sanderson, a professional Aboriginal (native Canadian) youth cartoonist, is a great resource on suicide prevention for youth, visual learners and hard to reach populations.  It’s the story of a teenager that feels socially isolated and has difficulty at school.  Even though Kyle has tremendous artistic talent and the support of a good friend he finds one day just too overwhelming and considers taking his own life.  It’s the story of the struggle between good and evil over the spirits of youth. The story was previewed with health professionals and youth focus groups for authentic characters and language. From the Healthy Aboriginal Network, 328 E 32nd Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V5V 2Y4; 604-876-0243.

Depression - this article Ashlee, a YouthResource peer educator talks about when feeling sad or hopeless "is more than just a temporary mood change" and what to do about it. It offers other youths' stories and poems and a ton of great toll-free hotlines and web sites.

Responses to Suicide

GSA Network's Make It Better Project ~ and ~ GroundSpark's Stop Anti-LGBT Bullying Campaign

and

Face The Issue - offers sobering, straightforward web animation with celebrity narration regarding anorexia/bulimia, depression, alcohol/other drugs, abuse, and self-esteem.

If you are thinking of committing suicide... read this first - by Martha Ainsworth, inspired by the work of David Conroy, Ph.D.; on Metanoia, working to break down barriers that keep people from getting the help they need. Through communications, education and advocacy.

Marcus Wayman Campaign - Marcus Wayman was eighteen years old in 1997 when he committed suicide after police found condoms in his pocket and concluded he was gay.  Small town police (Minersville, PA) threatened to out him to the community and family members.  Marcus, hours later, took a revolver and shot himself in the head. In November 2001a jury in Allentown acquitted the police from any wrongdoing.

Sexual Orientation and Youth Suicide - by Gary Remafedi, MD, MPH, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, from the Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 282, pp. 1291-1292, October 6, 1999).

Heartbroken by recent suicides of OUR kids, Nhojj wrote this because he wanted to do something to help. It is a song of consolation and hope. Robert Allan Arno, Soul of the Voice, Ltd., calls "Things Will Get Better" the "ultimate, empowering lullaby of the tender heart."   This is Nhojj's offering to all those kids who are on the verge of losing life's most precious asset -- hope.  It is for them.   "I wrote this song because I’d been hearing about our kids loosing hope, and at first I didn’t know what to do. But thankfully I came across the It Gets Better campaign. Dan & Terry have this amazing idea to share our stories to help teens realize that it does get better. This is my story told the best way I know how -- through music. Love & Light Nhojj"  Things Will Get Better by Nhojj ~ Lyrics: http://nhojj.bandcamp.com/track/things-will-get-better

Suicide among Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Youth - a report by Heather E. Murphy. Also available in pdf format. 

Suicide risk and prevention for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth - Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has released Suicide risk and prevention for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Written by SPRC staff and reviewed by experts in sexual and gender minority issues, suicide, and suicide prevention, and by youth, this publication addresses the special concerns related to suicide prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. This paper paper outlines recommendations for helping to reduce suicidal behavior among LGBT youth, and includes a resource appendix and an extensive bibliography. (pdf format)

TEACH Ministries (To Educate About the Consequences of Homophobia) - Mary Lou and Bob Wallner lost their lesbian Christian daughter Anna to suicide in February of 1997. They now work to see the church accept and welcome GLBT people.

Youth Suicide Prevention Program (YSPP) - envisions Washington as a state where youth suicide is a rare event, where young people are nurtured and supported, where individuals and families are aware of risk factors for suicide, and actively seek help from accessible, effective community resources. To that end, they focus on public awareness, training, and communities in action. Training is available that focuses on GLBTQ youth and the issues they face. These trainings are for service providers that want more information about suicide prevention and early intervention, more information on why GLBTQ youth are at an increased risk for suicide and self harm, and how they can best support these youth to increase their protective factors against suicide and self harm. Phone: 206-297-5922; Address: 444 NE Ravenna Blvd., #401, Seattle, WA 98115;  Fax: (206) 297-0818; General email: info@yspp.org.

Youth Suicide Problems - Gay/Bisexual Male Focus - devoted to this single issue.

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Listen to: "Intro to Gabi's Song" (1:32) and "Will It Always Be Like This" (4:30)
by Steve Schalchlin - on Beyond The Light (2002) http://www.bonusround.com/

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