Learning Objectives–At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- about the prevalence of suicide among LGBTQ2S youth.
This module will not teach you how to intervene when a youth is suicidal or potentially suicidal. That is a training all on its own. Here are some helpful resources on suicide prevention:
- Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
- Canadian Mental Health Association
- Kids Help Phone
- The Trevor Project
The purpose of this module is to highlight that LGBTQ2S youth “are over four times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-LGBT peers” (Dyck, 2012: 3) This is a result of…
… LGBTQ[2S] youth fac[ing] greater prejudice and victimization in their schools and a correspondingly lower level of school connectedness than their non-LGBTQ[2S] peers:
68% of trans students, 55% of LB students and 42% of GB students reported being verbally harassed about their perceived gender identity or sexual orientation.
20% of LGBTQ[2S] students reported being physically harassed or assaulted about their perceived gender identity or sexual orientation.
49% of trans students, 33% of lesbian students and 40% of gay male students have experienced sexual harassment in school in the last year.
64% of LGBTQ[2S] students feel unsafe in their schools (compared to 15% of non-LGBTQ[2S] students).
30% of trans students and 20% of LGB students strongly agreed that they sometimes “feel very depressed” about their school (compared to 6% of non-LGBTQ[2S] students) (Dyck: 5).
Some questions to think about and discuss with your colleagues:
- What are your suicide prevention policies and procedures?
- Are staff trained and support to intervene when a youth is or potential is suicidal?
- What are your follow-up processes?
- Do you make referrals to external organizations?
- Do you know if these organizations are LGBTQ2S welcoming and inclusive?
- What can your organization do to help support external referral partners to become LGBTQ2S welcoming and inclusive if they are not already?
- Knowing that LGBTQ2S youth face microaggressions on a daily basis, what additional supports can your organization offer?
Dyck, D. (2012, January 1). LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Summit 2012: Report on Outcomes and Recommendations. Retrieved February 9, 2015, from http://egale.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/YSPS-Report-online.pdf