Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Go Purple! GLAAD Spirit Day 2014

This year on October 16, we are celebrating GLAAD's Spirit Day, in support of the victims of bullying who are within the LGBT community.  It doesn't matter whether you're gay or straight.  NO ONE should be bullied for who they are.

As a victim of bullying myself, I understand the harm that it can do.  Every year, thousands of teenagers take their lives because they are bullied.  Let's take a look at some common statistics.

  • Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24.
  • LGB youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide (three times more likely for questioning) than their straight peers.  That's quite a lot!
  • Suicide attempts by LGB youth are 4 to 6 times more likely to result in injury, poisoning, or overdose that needs to be treated by a nurse or a doctor than their straight peers.
  • Nearly half of transgender people have thought about suicide, while one-quarter have actually attempted.
  • LGB youth coming from rejecting families are 8.4 times more likely to have attempted suicide than by their peers who are in low- or no-rejecting families.
  • 1 out of 6 students NATIONWIDE have seriously thought about suicide (grades 9-12) in the past year.
  • Suicide among black and Hispanic youth are 2 times more likely than white youth.
  • Each episode of victimization leads increases the likelihood of self-harming behavior by 2.5 times on average.

These things happen to many of us each and every day.  So this Thursday, on October 16, 2014, let's all wear purple to support those being bullied that are within the LGBT community.  It's time that we all come together and stand as one and welcome each other with open arms.



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