Statistics relating to GLBT Youth

Suicide

33% of all teen suicides are from the GLBT community. (3)  (A 2001 report from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (a sample includes 12,000 teens from 134 American schools) found that gay teens are 2 times more likely than their heterosexual peers to attempt suicide.) 

• 50% of all male youth suicides are from GLBT community. (3)
• 30% of gay and bisexual adolescent males attempt suicide at least once.  (9)
• Heterosexual youth are 5 times more likely to attempt suicide if they are harassed because someone thinks that they are gay. (5)

Homeless youth

42% of all homeless and/or throwaway youth (4)

Bullying/Harassment

• 160,000 youth skip school out of fear of being harassed each day.  Teenage students (gay and straight) say the worst harassment in school is being called ‘gay.’ (6)
• 27% of gay youth have been physically hurt by another student. (8)
• 80% harassed about sexual orientation identify as heterosexual. (2,5)
• 97% of students hear anti-gay comments in school. (7)
• 53% of students report hearing homophobic comments made by school staff.  (9)
• Over 81% of youth reported that faculty or staff either never or rarely intervened when homophobic remarks were made at school.  (9)
• 11.5% of gay and lesbian youth report being physically attacked by family members.  (9)

Substance Abuse

• The gay population is at a much higher risk than the heterosexual population for alcohol and drug abuse. (1)
• 83% of adolescent lesbians use alcohol, 56% use other drugs, and 11% use crack and/or cocaine. (9)
• 68% of adolescent gay males use alcohol, 44% use other drugs. (9)
  
   
• Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Youth Suicide: Gay Male and Youth Suicide, US Department of Health and Human Services (1989)
• Addressing Specific Risk Factors Among Lesbians and Gays, Eversole, T.,  American Psychological Association
   
• The Homosexuality Factor in the Youth Suicide Problem, Pierre J. Tremblay (1995)
   
• Adolescent Homosexuality: Issues for Pediatricians, G. Remafedi, Clinical Pediatrics 24.9 (1985)
   
• 83,000 Youth Survey: Selected findings out of eight population-based students” Safe Schools Coalition of Washington State. (1999)
   
• Harris/Scholastic Research, ‘Hostile Hallways’: AAUW Survey of Sexual Harassment in America’s Schools.”  (1993)
   
• Breaking the Silence for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth  (1996)
   
• Anthony D’Augelli, unpublished study (1997)
   
• GLSEN’s website, National School Climate Survey