News came this week that a transgender teen took his own life in a Philadelphia suburb, a tragedy that illustrates the wealth of work that still needs to be done to educate and empower our LGBT youth.
It’s been almost four years since the high-profile suicide of gay Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi. Following Clementi’s death, there seemed to be a spate of LGBT youth suicides — or at least a spate of media attention on an already-ongoing epidemic. But a national conversation started to take place about the issues impacting LGBT youth, prompting enhanced outreach to this often-underserved population, and increased efforts to enlighten non-LGBT populations.
The world has changed a lot since 2010. The number of marriage-equality states has ballooned. Representation of LGBT characters on mainstream television programs and in films has expanded. And the role of LGBT youth in advocating for our community — from the launch of school gay-straight alliances to youth leadership at LGBT groups to students standing up to discriminatory school practices and policies — has also increased.
As much societal change has happened, change on the homefront is also necessary to support our young people. Just in the last week, there have been two promising stories about families standing behind their LGBT children: In New Jersey, a mom is advocating for her transgender daughter’s school to respect the teen’s gender identity, and another mom, in Iowa, is fighting the federal policy banning organ donation by gay men, after her son’s eyes were rejected for donation following the teen’s suicide. Seeing families step up to the plate to fight for their LGBT children is both heartening and wholly necessary in the evolution of how society views LGBT youth, and how LGBT youth view themselves.
But, no matter how much progress has been made in the past four years, there are still LGBT youth who need help. Each person’s self-actualization is personal, and could be further impacted by factors such as depression or other mental-health struggles, which makes efforts to reduce the tragically high rates of LGBT youth suicide complex.
There is no blanket solution. Societal progress is important. As is individual acceptance. And there also needs to be a concerted effort to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help. The conversation about such issues as depression and suicide needs to evolve; everyone, from youth to seniors, LGBT or not, should not feel shame about coming to terms with difficult issues, and reaching out for help. Even if support may not exist in someone’s immediate circle, it is out there, ready and waiting.
Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255 or the Trevor Project, which works with LGBT youth, at 866-488-7386.