Gay Suicide Research Paper

On October 5, 2016, Fowlerville High School freshman, Brendan Kangas, committed suicide. His whole school and community was struck with grief, previously unaware of Brendan’s battle with depression. The next day school was held on schedule, and it was a very unproductive day. According to the faculty, kids were crying in classrooms, and uninstructed teachers did not know how to handle the situation (Brent). Many Fowlerville students have struggled academically, unable to cope with the news of Brendan’s death. Fowlerville was not prepared to handle such a crisis and administrators were unaware of the effect Brendan’s suicide would have on the school. Since then, several other students in Brendan’s community have attempted to take their lives as well (Brent). Suicide has not only a problem in

16-year-old Skylar Lee took his life in September 28, 2015. Up until his death, the transgender boy battled depression, identity issues while advocating for LGBT+ rights. He was respected activist that touched many lives, both in his personal life and outside of it. In a video Lee recorded, he talked about the staggering amount of suicides in LGBT+ youth and, more specifically, transgender teens. He proposed an idea to fix the issue. Instead of hoping that the affected person will get better, we need to invest in resources to better the lives of LGBT+ children. We must find ways to combat the challenges that keep marginalized groups from succeeding. Whether it is changing the lesson plans of health classes or giving people pamphlets of links

Maya Young (her name is misspelled in the article), a 25 year old trans woman of color, was brutally murdered on Sunday, February 21st. She was a self professed geek who loved music, video games and playing Magic the Gathering. Like so many trans people she turned to prostitution to make enough money to live. In an interview a friend and former roommate who called her 'Twix', due to a birthmark on her face; said 'She was sweet, like candy. She loved people and loved being around people. She was a dreamer.'

“We don’t let animals suffer, so why humans?”(Stephen Hawking) Not only is assisted suicide not legal in most states, but people are judged for taking that option. So basically, they should just live in pain because you’re uncomfortable…? How is ending your dog's life because he’s in unbearable pain any different from helping a person end their pain?

In America suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 - 24 year olds, the age group of most high school and college students (“11 facts about suicide”). The novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher has become one of the most controversial books this year due to the recent release of the netflix series based on the book. Two sides have formed saying that the novel is either glorifying suicide or that the novel is bringing awareness to the growing problem in america. While different facts can be put into argument for both sides, Thirteen Reasons Why has brought about many new opinions and perspectives that show the glorification of suicide to outway the support it was attempting to give.

A hero’s home, where they’re familiar and comfortable, is the start of their hero’s journey. Laverne Cox’s home life and family support shaped her into the hero and role model she is today for the transgender community. She didn’t always have her family’s full support. She often felt like a disgrace and an embarrassment to her family. These thoughts lead her to attempt suicide at eleven years old. In an interview, she describes, “During puberty, the attraction for other boys got really strong… I imagined that my grandmother was looking down on me and that she knew what I was thinking, because she’s in heaven” (Cox). The day she thought her grandmother was looking down on her with disappointment, was the day she swallowed a large

Leelah was a transgender female with parents and friends who did not approve of her gender identity. Fed up with their closed-minded behavior, "Alcorn walked 4 miles from her middle-class Kings Mills neighborhood with its views of Kings Island to Interstate 71. There, she was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer" (Coolidge). She died on December 28, 2014, and published her suicide note on the blogging platform Tumblr. Two days later, the note had over 82,000 views (Coolidge). In it, she stated that she made her decision because her family treated her like she was not a person just because she was transgender. She said they often told her that she “would never truly be a girl, that God doesn’t make mistakes, that I am wrong” (qtd. by Coolidge). She also mentioned her final wish, which was that after she died, “transgender conversion therapy services” would end. These services are meant to tell transgender youth that they were wrong and to “convert” them “back to normal” (qtd. by Coolidge). This gained so much attention that President Barack Obama requested a policy to ban the services, which did not occur (Coolidge). Overall, Leelah Alcorn’s suicide made many people try to change an aspect of the world for the

She was born Josh and later came out to her parents as Leelah, a female. Her parents did not accept her and continued using the name Josh as well as sending her to Christian conversion therapy. Leelah felt so unaccepted and came to hate herself and grew very depressed. On December 23rd, 2014, Leelah walked three or four miles from her parent’s home before getting hit by a truck. Nobody could be sure of what happened until 5:30 that night when her suicide note automatically uploaded to social media site Tumblr. In her note she states, "I’m never going to be happy... There’s no winning. There’s no way out... People say 'it gets better' but that isn’t true in my case. It gets worse. Each day I get worse. The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights. Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better. My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say 'that’s ****** up' and fix it. Fix society. Please." Her note was later deleted from Tumblr due to a request from her parents, but excerpts are still floating around on the internet. Her death went viral within days, causing an uproar in the right of transgender teens. Petitions for Leelah’s Law began. Leelah’s Law called for a ban on conversion therapy. Barack Obama surprised the nation when he spoke about his support of this ban, and though a national ban has not been put in place, Cincinnati was the second US city to put the ban in place, following Washington D.C. Leelah asked for her death to mean something and people are determined to meet her

A 39 year old African American male homeless walked to Beaumont Grosse Pointe. The consumer does have income. The consumer report that he came to the hospital to get help with substance use. The consumer report using crack and herion today. The consumer has flat affect, guarded, vague and lack motiviation to improve on her current situation. The consumer report suicidal ideation with a plan to overdose on his medication or any pills. However, when the writer ask the consumer about his medication the consumer states he does not have his medication. The consumer denied any auditory/visual hallucination, no homicidal ideation, no poor impulse control, no impaired judgment and he lack insight into the need for treatment. The writer review

Anti-gay bulling has increased over the years. There are more gays and lesbians committing suicide as a result. Asher Brown, a 13-year-old Houston, Texas teen committed suicide because he could not take the daily ridiculing of being bullied at school for years. Asher was being picked on because his classmates assumed he was gay. They also made fun of him because of his size, his religion, and because he did not wear name brand clothing and shoes. Some of his classmates went as far as performing mock gay acts on

If heterosexuals and cisgenders do not have to come out then, why does Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and more (LGBT+) have to come out? Can we just introduce our family and friends our partner without saying our sexuality? Can we just tell our friends our pronouns and names without revealing our gender or being questioned? People do not hear straight people and cisgenders coming out to their families and friends then, why should we? Everyday of our lives we are asked about sex, coming out story, how did we know, our feelings, and so much more. Heterosexuals and cisgenders do not get asked those questions or get stared at, so we should not either. LGBT+ is no different then everybody else, we are normal, and we do not need to come out

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” - Phil Donahue. As a complex, tragic public health issue, suicide occurs in men significantly more often than in women. Suicide is simply defined as the act of intentionally ending one’s own life, however, the factors that play into a person making that decision are anything but simple. The most evident and severe effect of suicide is the loss of a valuable, meaningful human life. According to Harvard School of Public Health (n.d.), suicide affects parents, children, siblings, friends, lovers, and spouses; the loss to society is psychological, spiritual, and financial. People who lose a loved one to suicide often experience devastating effects and deal with a complex grief. These

Suicide is a major problem worldwide; especially for teenagers. Self image plays a big roll in American society today, especially in enabling someone to make a wrong and destructive decision like suicide. Self image and low esteem effect the chances of a teenagers suicide greatly. There are many events that lead up to a young persons suicide, for instance a little problem that seems inescapable which manifests themselves into overwhelming burdens. Detection and prevention are both key for adults and young people to stop suicide from happening.

The use of new media has transformed the way in which we receive the latest news content, but, despite this new form of media, we still do not receive every breaking news that occurs in the U.S. The article “Rise in Number of Transgender People Murdered” by Keira Andrews and Jeff Simmons, highlights the ongoing issue of transgender murders, specifically black trans women in the United States. The authors discuss the rates of murders in the U.S within the general population and compare it to those rates of black trans women, which surpass the general population rate. It is also important to consider the fact that these statistics are not completely accurate, mainly due to the fact that the death of transgender individuals are undercounted, thus

The American society impacts thousands of LGBT people annually. Estimating around 9 million Americans identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual and or transgender (Gates). Each of these people are personally impacted by our society annually. Many personal stories have come out about the hardships they have to go through. In particular, a recent story that sparked action in the U.S; the story of Leelah Alcorn a 17-year-old suicide victim who experienced bullying, a disapproving family, discrimination and violence against her identifying as transgender. She identified herself as a female she learned about who she truly was from her inner psyche. Because of her depressive thoughts and constant discrimination, she walked in front of oncoming traffic on interstate 71. Leelah sought