Caitlyn Jenner's Response To Suicide

Attempting suicide is an epidemic in the United States; especially when 41% of transgender individuals have attempted suicide compared 1.6% of the general population (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Due to this, the question of whether or not transgender youth have a harder, more straining adolescence than their cisgender counterparts rises. Although adolescence can be hard on everyone, experiences such as a school environment, puberty, laws that guarantee protection, family and social acceptance of transgender youth are harder than those of their cisgender counterparts (harder does not necessarily mean correlate with strenuous, the use of harder is aiming more towards different, costly, and possibly more confusing). The revolution for transgender lives is just beginning, change is happening. But in order for change to occur, adequate information on the material needs to be discussed and terminology must be defined and questions must be answered. Questions such as: what do the terms transgender and cisgender actually mean? Why is it important to know the difference between the two terms? What is the difference between transsexual and transgender?

The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to

Did you know that more than 50% of transgender minors have admitted to attempting suicide? How about that 82% of transgender youth feel unsafe or scared at school? These statistics are high, too high. Transgender is defined as of, relating to, or being a person who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person's sex at birth, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary. Years ago it was considered bad to be transgender, but our society has become more open-minded, leading to the coming outs of many more transgender minors. However, while it seems as though we are more open-minded, transgender youth are still being mistreated, to a point where suicide sometimes seems like the only good

This is in direct correlation with the increased probability of mental illnesses in the transgender population. Traditional views certainly do not help as many transgender citizens are told they are “sick” because of their difference with many religious and personal beliefs. A study from Boston published earlier this year in the Journal of Adolescent Health, reported that transsexual youth had two to three times increased risk of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, self-harm without lethal intent, and both inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment. These statistics show the clear consequences of mental health transgenders are facing if transgender rights continues to be unregulated. It is essential that the federal government steps in to take action in order to make sure things do not continue on this downwards path.

Mental illnesses are very common in the United States, with one in five of adolescents having a diagnosed mental illness and in the last year less than half of these adolescents have received proper treatment. The most common mental disorders, anxiety and depression, can disrupt daily life and result in suicide, which is the third most frequent cause of death in teenagers (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Ten percent of adolescents did not have health insurance in 2013 and those who did, had a very limited amount of mental health care services provided to them (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). It has been proved that it is even less likely that adolescents who are poor, homeless, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender will receive the care that is necessary for their health and even life (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Mental disorders are not only an

The Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgendered (LGBT) youth population is one of the most vulnerable groups in our community. Being gay does not lead to risky behaviors or bad decision making, rather, societal stigma and discrimination can lead LGBT youth to seek emotional outlets. Today’s society has improved immensely towards the LGBT community, although it has not always been this way. Society can affect a person in shocking ways, influencing one’s unhealthy and unsafe physical and mental behaviors. This current vulnerable population deserves a voice and the simplicity of someone listening to them in order for both sides, accepting and non-accepting, to find a common ground and settle the violence.

With so little transgender celebrities and almost no representation of transgender in the media, it is no wonder that you hear of so many trans youth killing themselves. The most famous representation of the transgender community is Sophie in Orange is the New Black, who was thrown into prison for credit card fraud to afford her transition. There is also Adam on Degrassi, a female to male transgender whose mom did not fully accept him until he was dying. Degrassi is my favorite representation of transgender youth because when people of the school found out about Adam, the jocks of the school started to tease him and pick on him, even throwing him into a window. This accurately showed what it is like to be living as a transgender person in a bigoted society where you don’t feel like you belong. One celebrity that comes to mind when some hear the term ‘transgender’ would be Caitlyn Jenner. Born Bruce Jenner and being a famous Olympian, she proudly came out as Caitlyn and made the brave decision to publically transition. But yet, people of the world did not want to accept her as Caitlyn. People even made pictures and posts saying “Bruce is not brave, our soldiers are brave,” and comments out loud saying “Gender identity is something Bruce Jenner is struggling with.” Although there was a number of support, trans youth cannot be expected to fully come out and love themselves if they have very little representation and

The article "Gay Teens Are at Risk," was written by Paula Schleis and Kim Hone-McMahan and was published in 2004 in Teens at Risk. This article describes how society is forcing the adolescents in the LGBT community into depression and causing them to attempt suicide. According to the article, gay teens risk loosing friends and loved ones if they 'come out of the closet' and thus either try to fruitlessly hide their sexuality or attempt suicide. Additionally, the article states that one-third of teen suicides are committed by homosexuals because of homophobia. With this article's use of pathos and heart-string-pulling language gain empathy and attention from their readers. Though neither authors have a personal background or connection to the

In addition to social persecution, people who identify on the LGBTQ spectrum are at a higher risk of experiencing violence In 2010, the FBI reported in a hate crime statistics report that 19.3% of hate crimes in that year were motivated by a sexual orientation bias. Based on national statistics, more than 50% of transgendered youth will attempt suicide at least once by the age of 20 “Statistics About Youth Suicide”. These numbers are shocking, and it’s baffling that these youth have to live under the pressure of violence and mental illness all while being barred from the rights they

LGBTQ youth in particular are at high risk for suicide attempts and completions. In the largest national survey of transgender adults to date,

Transgender people face a much higher suicide risk in contrast to gender conforming men and women in this world. 41% of transgender people that were surveyed at Injustice at Every Turn, a national social justice organization dedicated to resolving discrimination and brutality against transgender people, said that they have attempted suicide in contrast to the 1.6% of the general population who have not. (“2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey Report”) Caitlyn Jenner expressed her emotions regarding the transgender community and the struggles facing the 700,000 people in just the United States alone, who recognize themselves as transgender. Caitlyn Jenner was born as Bruce Jenner in 1949, but has been transitioning since the 1980s.

The article in review is Stigma, Mental Health, and Resilience in an Online Sample of the US Transgender Population. As a diverse group, transgender people can be seen as a movement that is on the rise. Today, more transgender people are stepping out, and expressing

Nearly 80% of transgender people report that they were harassed while 35% said that they were physically assaulted at school. Transgender people are also frequent targets of hate speech, Hate crime, Bullying, physical and psychological violence, Between 2008 and 2016 there have been over 2,000 reported murders cases in 65 countries across the globe. In the U.S at least 25 transgender people were killed in 2017. 30% of transgender youth reported a history of at least one suicide attempt, and nearly 42% reported that they had attempted self - harm. According to the national center for transgender equality research, transgender people with supportive families are for less likely to

Sadly, stigmas stand as the barrier that separates persons at risk from mental health professionals who through either therapy, medication or a combination of both can change suicide contemplations. However, after a review of the current data, it indicates there is a year to year increase in the reported incidences of suicides, which in turn suggest more work is needed to reverse this pattern (Smith, Saisan, & Segal, 2016). In the text to follow, we will examine additional data on suicides in the U.S. as it relates to age, race, and gender, as well as an examination of suicide statistics for the state of Texas.

The research finds that possibly due to having a larger family and therefore having a larger support network, that African Americans and Hispanics have lower suicide rates when compared to Caucasian Americans (Balis & Postolache, 2008; U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). Statistics also show that suicide has recently risen among African American males as the numbers that exist there are approaching that of Caucasian American males (Balis & Postolache, 2008; U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). What’s even more shocking in regards to nationality is that research has found that Native American adolescents tend to commit suicide at rates 2 to 6 times national averages (Balis & Postolache, 2008; U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). When looking at these statistics, it can be reasonably assumed that many of the major disruptions which can occur during adolescence such as substance abuse, early parenthood, failure in regards to school, and depression probably underlie these trends. The research also shows that the sexual orientation of an individual can also play a large role in adolescent suicide rates. To elaborate on the research, statistics show that gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents are all at high risk of suicide as these groups tend to attempt suicide three times as often when compared to other adolescents (D’Augelli et al., 2005). The research also tells us that amongst those who