General Statistics for LGBT Youth
• 97 % of students in public high schools report regularly hearing homophobic remarks from their peers.
• 53% of students report hearing homophobic comments made by school staff.
• 80% of prospective teachers report negative attitudes toward gay and lesbian people.
• Two-thirds of guidance counselors harbor negative feelings toward gay and lesbian people.
• In a typical class of 30 students, 8 students (27% of the class) will be directly affected by homosexuality of self, one or more siblings, or one or both parents.- “Breaking the Silence for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth.” New Hartford, NY.
• In Michigan, 28% of school personnel surveyed determined their school environment to be emotionally unsafe for gay and lesbian youth- 1997 survey of 300 superintendents, school counselors and psychologists in public and private schools in five Michigan counties, conducted by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Teacher's Network.
Home
• 11.5% of gay and lesbian youth report being physically attacked by family members- Hetrick-Martin Institute Violence Report.
• 44% of respondents report having been the target of anti-gay physical abuse, discrimination and/or harassment in their family of origin. - Charles Collins, UAB School of Public Health
• 42% of homeless youth self-identify as gay/lesbian- Victims Services/Traveler’s Aid, “Streetwork Project Study,”
Anti-gay violence and harassment
• "homosexuals" are probably the most frequent victims [of hate crimes] in the U.S.- US Department of Justice, The Response of the Criminal Justice System to Bias Crime: An Exploratory View.
• 45% of gay males and 20% of lesbians report having experienced verbal harassment and/or physical violence as a result of their sexual orientation during high school- National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, “National Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization Report,”
• 42% of adolescent lesbians and 34% of adolescent gay males who have suffered physical attack also attempt suicide- Hetrick-Martin Institute Violence Report, 1988.
• 39% report hate acts such as vandalism, threats or assault in their neighborhoods and communities. - Charles Collins, UAB School of Public Health
• 48% or respondents report anti-gay violence, harassment or discrimination in the workplace, including 15% who were fired.- - Charles Collins, UAB School of Public Health
• 39% report hate acts such as vandalism, threats or assault in their neighborhoods and communities.- - Charles Collins, UAB School of Public Health- Charles Collins, UAB School of Public Health
• 31% report having been targeted by anti-gay physical abuse in two different settings of their lives: family of origin, school, the community or the workplace. National surveys indicate that one third of anti-gay assaults include use of a weapon.- Charles Collins, UAB School of Public Health
• Blacks and women report roughly the same level of violence, harassment and discrimination as whites and men, except that boys are three times more likely to be targeted by homophobia in schools.- - Charles Collins, UAB School of Public Health
Health issues
• 30% of gay and bisexual adolescent males attempt suicide at least once- Remafedi, Gary, et al. “Risk Factors for Attempted Suicide in Gay and Bisexual Youth,” in Pediatrics, 1991.
• 83% of adolescent lesbians use alcohol, 56% use other drugs, and 11% use crack and/or cocaine- Hunter, Joyce, et al. Unpublished research by the Columbia University HIV center for Clinical and Behavior Studies, 1992.
• 68% of adolescent gay males use alcohol, 44% use other drugs- Hunter, Joyce, et al. Unpublished research by the Columbia University HIV center for Clinical and Behavior Studies, 1992.
• Gay youth are 2 to 3 times more likely to commit suicide than any other young person during their youth.-US Department of Health and Human Services
• Transsexuals may be at higher risk than homosexuals and much higher risk than the general population to suicidal behavior. (13) Fifty-three percent of transsexuals surveyed had made suicide attempts.- Huxdly, J., and Brandon, S., "Partnership in Transsexualism, Part 1: Paired and Non-paired Groups," Archives of Sexual Behavior, 10, pp. 133-141, 1981.
• Thirty-six percent of African-American lesbians compared to 21 percent of white lesbians, and 32 percent of African-American gay males compared to 27 percent of white gay males attempted suicide before age 18.- Bell, A., and Weinberg, M., Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity among Men and Women, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978.
• Approximately 20% of all persons with AIDS are 20-29 years old; given the long latency period between infection and the onset of the disease, many were probably infected as teenagers.-Lehman, M., HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 5(l), 1993)
• In a study of depression and gay youth, researchers found depression strikes homosexual youth four to five times more severely than their non-gay peers.- Hammelman, TL, 1990
• 80% of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth report severe isolation problems. They experience social isolation, emotional isolation and cognitive isolation.- Hetrick. E.S., Martin. A.D., Journal of Homosexuality 14(1/2). 25-43. 1987
• Gays and lesbians are at much higher risk than the heterosexual population for alcohol and drug abuse. - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide: Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide.” (1989)
• Approximately 30% of both the lesbian and gay male populations have problems with alcohol. - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide: Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide.” (1989)
• Substantially higher proportions of homosexual people use alcohol, marijuana or cocaine than is the case in the general population. - McKirnan, D. J. & Peterson, P. L. (1989). 'Alcohol and Drug Use Among Homosexual Men and Women: Epidemiology and Population Characteristics." Addictive Behaviors, 14 (5). pp. 545-553.
• 55% of gay men have had a substance abuse problem sometime in their life. -“Breaking the Silence for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth.” (1996) New Hartford, NY.
Homelessness
• Approximately 40% of homeless youth are identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual. - Seattle Commission on Children and Youth. (1986). "Survey of Street Youth." Seattle, WA: Orion Center.
• Service providers estimate that gay, lesbian and bisexual youth make up 20-40% of homeless youth in urban areas. - The National Network of Runaway and Youth Services. To Whom Do They Belong?: Runaway, Homeless and Other Youth in High-Risk Situations in the 1990's. Washington, DC. The National Network, 1991.
• In a study of male teenagers self-described as gay or bisexual, 27% moved away from home because of conflict with family members over sexual orientation. Almost half had run away from home at least once. - Remafedi, Gary. (1987). "Male Homosexuality: The Adolescent's Perspective." Pediatrics, Issue 79. pp. 326-337.
• The estimated number of homeless youth not receiving shelter services in Detroit on any given day ranges from 1,600 to 2,000. Of those, 640-800 homeless LGBT youth are on the streets of Detroit every day," - the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, titled "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth: An Epidemic of Homelessness."
