Day of Truth? or Day of Bigotry

Day of Truth. The truth is, they are affirming bigotry against LGBT Teens:

Statistics from the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network's School Climate Survey highlight the prevalence of such bullying and harassment:

* 91% of LGBTQ students frequently hear homophobic remarks in their schools.

* 80% report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation.

* 42% report being physically harassed, often with a weapon, because of their sexual orientation.

* 33% skipped school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety.

How much more hate can our children keep receiving from not only adults but their peers?

I want to repeat some of the findings from the report released last month by the Family Acceptance Project showing the harm many LGBT youth receive at home and the consequences of that rejection:

• Higher rates of family rejection during adolescence were significantly associated with poorer health outcomes for LGB young adults.
• LGB young adults who reported higher levels of family rejection during adolescence were

* 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide.
* 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression, 3.4 times more likely to use illegal drugs.
* 3.4 times more likely to report having engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse compared with peers from families that reported no or low levels of family rejection.
(the figures are times more than their LGBT PEERS who experience little or no rejection)

• Latino males reported the highest number of negative family reactions to their sexual orientation in adolescence.