Suicide is not painless

Far too many of our LGBT brothers and sisters contemplate, attempt, and complete suicide.

Here are some statistics, according to the Trevor Project (www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/facts-about-suicide):

• The rate of suicide attempts is 4 times greater for LGB youth and 2 times greater for questioning youth than that of straight youth.
• Suicide attempts by LGB youth and questioning youth are 4 to 6 times more likely to result in injury, poisoning, or overdose that requires treatment from a doctor or nurse, compared to their straight peers
• In a national study, 40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25.
• LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection
• Each episode of LGBT victimization, such as physical or verbal harassment or abuse, increases the likelihood of self-harming behavior by 2.5 times on average.


We have made so much progress in recent years towards greater equality and acceptance, that I hope we will start to see these numbers go down. However, at the moment it continues to be a significant mental health concern. You can't read news or look at Facebook without seeing stories dripping with hate towards LGBT folks. This hate is what pushes individuals to consider suicide, when they question their own self-worth because of some vitriol someone is spouting off.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to be resilient against the onslaught of hate must be clear that life can indeed get better. We know that acceptance for LGBT individuals, couples, and issues has swelled over recent years, and this will definitely help. However, we must continue to fight against those who continue to try to push us down, to call out the hatred for exactly what it is. Our voices of love and support must drown out the screeches of hate.

In 2013, Amy Bleuel established Project Semicolon 10 years after the death of her father by suicide. The idea is both simple and elegant. Writers use a semicolon when they could end a sentence but choose not to. The main thrust of the project is suicide prevention by folks getting a tattoo of a semicolon. The idea is that we could choose to end our life, but we make the choice to keep going. Here is the semicolon tattoo I recently got:

Sadly, Amy Bleuel took her own life recently. That was part of what prompted me to go ahead and get the tattoo. She worked hard for many years to help people stay alive, and ultimately she succumbed to her demons. I don't know the details, but I do know that we must continue to fight, continue to counter hate with love, continue to survive.

If you know, or even suspect, that someone is struggling with suicide, urge them to get help. There are many counselors out there who can help. There are many suicide hotlines folks can use to reach out and find someone to listen. People kill themselves when they believe that they have no other option to overcome the pain they are experiencing. We must exemplify hope as we fight, and love, and survive.

National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255