Homophobia and Suicide in Glbt Youth

Homophobia and Suicide in GLBT Youth

Whether we like it or not, gender roles are inescapable realities of a social schema. Society forms a definition of what it is to be male and female, and in many instances this definition is unrealistically rigid. Concepts of gender in American society revolve around "maleness" as a mythical yet perpetuated norm. When someone functioning in this framework fails to meet the male heterosexual classification, they are labeled as the "other," and must then deal with a cavalcade of implications reinforced by society's expectation and demands. How does a population branded as the "other" function and cope in society? This paper will examine specifically if social constructs of homosexuality--particularly in homosexual youth--have higher risk factors for suicide than their heterosexual counterparts.

Recent statistics state that more than 5,000 American adolescents and young adults take their lives every year, and disturbingly enough, gay and lesbian adolescents and young adults were found to be two to three times more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to attempt suicide, suggesting that 30% of completed suicides each year are gay or lesbian youth (Chauvin et. al, 2000:2). Suicide is the leading cause of death for the young homosexual population, and five out of six gay men who attempted suicide had done so by the age of 20 (Chauvin et al., 2000:2).

A number of variables must be taken into consideration which have shown to affect rates of suicide in homosexual youth (youth being defined as ages 20 and under) (Chauvin, Kulkin, & Percle, 2000:2). "Coming out," at an early age, society at large, self-esteem, religion, substance abuse, and attempting suicide all affect suicide ideation in homosexual youth. In addition, it is important to take into account homophobia and empowerment in society.

Coming out at an early age

"Coming out" at an early age has a number of consequences for any individual who identifies as GLBT. The development of the homosexual identity has a proposed three-stage sequence consisting of homosexual feelings in early adolescence, budding homosexuality in a "dissociation" stage of coping, and personal acceptance and disclosure, or "coming out" (Lebson, 2002:110). "The stages are fluctuating and undulating rather than uniform," and "the likelihood of depression and suicide increase... when the effort to complete each stage becomes overwhelming" (Lebson, 2002:111).

"Coming out" is, disturbingly enough, generally expected to lead to a family crisis, and it "has been recognized as one of the most difficult and at the same time most important tasks gay men and lesbians might face" (Ben-Ari, 1995:90-1). It is associated with fear, anxiety, and stress, and thus it is no wonder that the process can have detrimental effects on the emotional stability of an individual. Sixty-six percent of gay men and lesbians in the study reported by Ben-Ari expressed fears about "coming out" to at least one of their parents, and fifty-two percent had fears about being rejected (Ben-Ari, 1995: 95-6).

While the anticipation of "coming out" is in itself a psychologically troubling time, the ramifications of doing so at an early age are made more injurious by the newly made physical consequences. The adolescent must not only deal with the inner turmoil and instability of emotions, but also their "peers' inability to deal effectively with this information... triggered by prejudicial attitudes which have been internalized due to our heterosexist and homophobic society" (Chauvin et al., 2000:9). Adolescence is a difficult time of confusion and identity formation for all young people, but homosexual youth must also contend with their sexuality and the stigma attached to it; the trauma during this critical period of development intensifies feelings of abandonment and isolation for the gay or lesbian young person (Chauvin et al., 2000:9).

Society

Society at large is the foremost culprit for the negative views homosexuals must deal with. As Stan Ziegler says:

If it weren't for denial, emotionally well-integrated gay people would be enraged at what society tells us about ourselves. Psychologist Vivian Cass asserts that a stage of anger at society is necessary to form a healthy gay identity. Of course it is. Look at what society teaches us about ourselves. Is it any wonder that as gay people we grow up hating ourselves for becoming what our society says is the worst thing we might become? Children call each other "faggot" when they want to be most cruel, and this is before they really know what the word means. Messages like this are everywhere.

I've had many adult gay patients ask me how they could so clearly have learned being gay is wrong when they're sure gayness was never discussed in their homes or schools until 25 years ago. Before there was any talk of gayness, there were clear messages about how boys should behave and how girls should behave. These messages may be changing somewhat (probably more so for girls than for boys) but not enough to keep me from overhearing a mother at the San Diego Zoo say to her cranky young son that he had to stop crying now since "boys don't cry" (Ziegler, 1991: 114).

Clearly the implication of the rigid roles society enforces is that it makes outsiders out of individuals with differences from what is constructed to be acceptable.

Young people are particularly impressionable to the attitudes, ideologies, and norms of society, thus homosexual youth are affected by "negative attitudes and hostile reactions of our society to homosexuality" (Chauvin et al,. 2000:9). Furthermore, society offers little in ways to seek refuge from homophobia and the attitudes it places upon the oppressed youth, and many areas require minors to have permission from their parents before engaging in therapy or attending gay/lesbian programs at outreach centers. "The outcome of societal barriers along with negative responses to a homosexual orientation may facilitate a young gay or lesbian person to exhibit a low self-esteem, depression, and a generalized fear, consequently, resulting in a deteriorated and fragile identity on the part of a young homosexual person" (Chauvin et al., 2000:9-10).

Self-Esteem

Self-esteem plays a pivotal role in the ideation of suicide among many young people; this appears to be particularly true of homosexual youth (Gibson, 1989). With all of the negative imagery and reinforcement apparent in various