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THE SCARY STATISTICS

    Suicide:
    A 1989 study by the US Department of Health and Human Services showed gay and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual young people. 30% of the completed youth suicides are committed by lesbian and gay youth annually and suicide is their leading cause of death.


    School Drop-Out:
    28% of gay and lesbian high school students in a national study were seen to have dropped out of school because of harassment resulting from their sexual orientation.

    (Remafedi, G., Pediatrics, 326-330. 1987)



    Isolation:
    80% of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth report severe isolation problems. They experience social isolation, emotional isolation and cognitive isolation.

    (Hetrick. E.S., Martin. A.D., Journal of Homosexuality 14(1/2). 25-43. 1987)



    Violence:
    45% of gay males and 20% of lesbians report having experienced verbal harassment and/or physical violence as a result of their sexual orientation during high school.

    (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, "National Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization Report", 1984)



    Homelessness:
    26% of gay and lesbian youth are forced to leave home because of conflicts with their families over their sexual identities.

    (Remafedi. G., Pediatrics, 79, 326-330,1987)



    HIV/AIDS:
    Approximately 20% of all persons with AIDS are 20-29 years old; given the long latency period between infection and the onset of the disease, many were probably infected as teenagers.

    (Lehman, M., HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 5(l), 1993)



    Student Attitudes:
    97% of students in public high schools report regularly hearing homophobic remarks from their peers.

    (Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of Mass. Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1993)



    Staff Attitudes:
    53% of students report hearing homophobic comments made by school staff.

    (Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of Mass. Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, 1993)



    Health Issues:
    68% of adolescent gay males use alcohol and 44% use other drugs; 83% of lesbians use alcohol and 56% use other drugs.

    (Hunter. J. et al. Unpublished research by the Columbia University HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, 1992)



    Depression:
    In a study of depression and gay youth, researchers found depression strikes homosexual youth four to five times more severely than their non-gay peers.

    (Hammelman, TL, 1990)



    Compiled by GLSTN, New York, NY and Youth Pride, Inc., Providence, RI
A few months ago we recieved an e-mail from an OBHS student questioning our purpose. These statistics might not be exactly accuarate for our school, but I'm sure every student at OBHS knows that they do ring true, especially the last one about how 97% of students hear homophobic remarks from their peers.

It's time to make some change around our school and make the enviornment more friendly for GLBT/questioning students. If you'd like to help, come to our weekly meetings or e-mail obhshue@hotmail.com for more info.



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