aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Suicidal campus closets

A new study of college kids found that gay, lesbian and bisexual students were twice as likely as heterosexuals to have planned and attempted suicide in the previous year.

Being victimized because of sexual orientation is a chief risk factor. But the most susceptible:

In the course of the study, University of Washington researcher Heather Murphy also uncovered a group of students who previously had not been studied and are at increased risk for suicidal behavior. These students identified themselves as heterosexual, but also reported being attracted to people of the same sex or engaging in same-sex behavior.

This group was three times as likely as heterosexuals to have made a plan to commit suicide in the past year and six times more likely to have actually attempted suicide in the same period.

Via Andrew Sullivan, “The closet is one of the most destructive forces around. Marriage equality is its most potent solvent.”