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III. BACKGROUND Queer youth, in many ways, are just the same as any other youth. They experience relative powerlessness in their daily lives; their bodies, minds and spirits are in turmoil and are actively changing from moment to moment. Hormones are raging and often youth are experiencing fluctuating levels of self-esteem. Adolescence is a time that is filled with confusion and uncertainty and often youth are not taken seriously. In addition, youth are questioning authority as well as seeking an identity and a life path for themselves. Where queer youth differ, from other youth, is that they must face this time of growth, uncertainty and change, with little support from the traditional sources that non-queer youth can access, such as churches, school peers, and even their nuclear family. A. Queer Youth Face Many Problems "Reaching Out," a report by Canada's national queer advocacy organization, Equality for Gay's and Lesbians Everywhere, notes that there are many problems faced by queer youth. These include, a "lack of self esteem, feelings of isolation, a high risk of parental rejection, peer abuse, homelessness, school dropout, drug abuse, suicide, unsafe sexual behaviour and prostitution. Many of these problems are inter-related and stem from an absence of positive role models and the lack of value which is attached to the lives of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals - both by society in general and by the youth themselves." (1) In a recent BC survey by the McCreary Centre Society called "Being Out", the researchers note that a "lack of acceptance can be a factor in gay and lesbian youth leaving their family homes." (2) This lack of acceptance and support from traditional sources leads to queer youth being forced to leave their family homes and they often end up homeless and on the street. Supporting evidence for this appalling situation is shown in the "1993 Street Youth in Vancouver" survey which showed that almost half (46% of youth - 33% of male youths and 60% of female youths) living on the street in Vancouver identified themselves as not 100% heterosexual compared to 93% of males and 92% of females attending school who identified as 100% heterosexual.( 3 ) Queer youth also differ in another very important area. They must face the prospect of choosing to 'come out' or disclose their sexual orientation and face discrimination, rejection, assault and sometimes death. The only other alternatives are that they can choose to deny their sexual/gender orientation or they can choose to live a life of secrecy. These choices are likely to be accompanied by increased feelings of shame and increased stress and isolation.( 4 ) D. Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Genderism If the queer youth is also a member of other marginalized groups, for example having a disability or being (or seen as being) from a 'non-dominant' culture or ethnic background they may face increased isolation. They not only experience rejection from their own communities as a result of being queer but also they must also face oppression, isolation and rejection as a result of their perceived differences from mainstream society. So a queer lesbian youth of colour with fibromyalgia experiences increased levels of pain, isolation, stress and discrimination as a result of how society sees or believes she is different from society's norms. She probably will not be able to seek support and comfort in any of the worlds (family, faith, community, society or her non-disabled peers) she walks in. Many youth are discriminated against because of their race or ethnic background as well as for being queer and racial harassment is perhaps one of the more common forms of harassment in schools; it is, at least, the most commonly reported form of harassment that researchers ask questions about. The "Seattle Teen Health Risk Survey" documented that 43% of the students surveyed reported having been the target of "offensive racial comments" or attacks at school or on the way to or from school. The frequency of reported race-based harassment varied among ethnic groups from 35% among SE Asian students to 51% among Latino and multi-ethnic students, with other ethnic groups falling in between.( 5 ) This survey also documented another common form of harassment, general (gender-based) sexual harassment. "In Seattle, 37% of youth over all (51% of young women, 17% of young men) reported having been the target of 'offensive sexual comments' at school or on the way to or from school."( 6 ) It can be difficult to identify exactly why you are the victim of harassment if you are from (or are seen as being from) a non-dominant group. Most complaint boxes in school and even the reporting process to file a human rights complaint ask the complainant to choose a type of discrimination. They are seemingly unaware or have difficulty processing a complaint on more than one type of discrimination (e.g. race, sex and sexual orientation). This forces the person to make a choice about which was the most obvious or most likely to be acted upon. This is just one small example of the societal barriers placed upon queer youth of colour, queer youth who are disabled, queer lesbians or queer trans youth. The lack of acceptance and rejection from most areas of the lives of queer youth that are also part of other marginalized communities can cause extreme feelings of loneliness, isolation, low self-esteem, stress and suicidal ideation. Similarly to overall high queer youth suicide rates, these factors, combined with a lack of societal support as well as cultural/family rejection, play a large part in the high suicide rates of queer youth of colour, as well as trans, lesbian and queer disabled youth. A 1988 study reported in "The Homosexuality Problem in the Youth Suicide Problem" noted, "[A] study of 1,925 17 to 55 year old lesbians (sample taken in 1984) suggests that lesbians have been at high risk for suicide attempts. The related data suggests that the attempted suicide rate for lesbians has almost doubled from about 1950 to 1980, given the difference in rates between the 45 to 55 year old (13%) and 17 to 24 year old (24%) lesbians. Furthermore, the attempted suicide rate for lesbians of colour, 27% and 28%, is almost double the white lesbian rate of 16%."( 7 ) Other studies report that African-American lesbians are almost twice as likely (36% vs. 21%) as white lesbians to have attempted suicide before the age of 18 and that African-American males are almost 1.2 times as likely (32% vs. 27%) as white gay males to have attempted suicide before the age of 18.( 8 ) Transsexuals also experience extreme isolation, rejection and harassment and also experience high rates of suicide attempts. One study noted that 53% of transsexuals surveyed had attempted suicide.( 9 ) As noted in, "A Community Report on the Health Concerns of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Communities", numerous studies have shown that lack of support, and negative and hostile attitudes in society increase stress and lower the overall health status of persons who experience these barriers to their health. Freida-Hopkins Outlaw, cited in the above report, notes, "Stress related to oppression lowers an individual's resistance to illness."( 10 ) Certain kinds of stress can have a negative impact on a person's self worth, self-esteem and the sexual/gender identification process. Once this stress becomes prolonged, it can eventually lead to long-term mental and physical illnesses such as addictions, being at risk for physical, emotional and spiritual abuse, relationship violence, eating disorders, depression, increased risk of suicide, and other high-risk behaviours such as unsafe sex. Of course, the impact of stress varies from person to person, in part depending on personal strengths and other social determinants of health such as housing, education, employment, access to fresh wholesome well-balanced meals and personal comfort at being "out".( 11 ) Obviously, queer youth who lack support, who are uncomfortable with their identity, who are not comfortable with being out, who live on the street, who are not employed or who are employed in non-traditional fields, and who lack access to good food, are at a greatly increased risk for stress and stress-related illnesses. F. Dramatically Low Self Esteem The 1999 McCreary study notes that the queer youth in the survey had dramatically lower self-esteem than similarly aged heterosexual youth in school (39% vs. 9%).( 12 ) In the spring of 2000, G.L.O.S.S.I. (Gays and Lesbians of Salt Spring Island) produced a resource for health care providers which notes, "Counselling that includes gay-positive messages, and support for the self-esteem of non-heterosexual youth, will help young people negotiate safer sex and walk away from high-risk situations. ... Young people need safe and accepting places and people with whom they can explore questions of sexual orientation. They need easy access to information about homosexuality, and to the resources and support available through the gay and lesbian community."( 13 ) G. School Harassment and Violence Queer youth must also face this crucial turning point in their lives through the barriers of stigma and prejudice related to homophobia/transphobia, as well as other related oppressions. Barriers like these mean they must face an extremely hostile world, where it is unsafe even to be perceived as being queer. They must listen to negative homo/bi/transphobic remarks daily and queer youth often feel like outsiders at school. The McCreary Centre reports that 49% of queer youth feel unsafe at school and 37% feel like outsiders much of the time. Eight-two percent of LGBT/GLBT youth reported that other students sometimes or often make homophobic remarks while 28% reported that their teachers make homophobic remarks.( 14 ) The US-based Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) recently -completed a national survey of LGBT/GLBT youth. This study reported that 41.7% of queer youth in their survey felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, over 90% reported hearing homophobic remarks frequently, 99.4% had heard such remarks from other students and 36.6% had heard similar remarks from faculty or school staff. Over one third said no one intervened in these situations.( 15 )
Another recently
released (March, 1999) US-based report, "Eighty Three Thousand Youth",
which surveyed 83,000 youth, presents selected findings of eight population-based
studies as they relate to anti-gay harassment and the safety and well being
of sexual-minority students. This research confirms and expands upon the
Safe Schools Coalition's recently completed five-year qualitative study,
"They Don't Even Know Me: Understanding Anti-Gay Harassment and Violence
in Schools".( 16 ) It also confirms
the McCreary Centre findings as well as the findings in EGALE's youth report.
"Eighty Three Thousand Youth" concludes that "queer youth
in general, as well as heterosexual youth who are harassed for being perceived
to be gay:
Queer youth experience daily harassment, intimidation and threats of violence both at school and also outside of school. LGBT/GLBT youth are faced with extremely high levels of physical and sexual violence based on their sexual and/or gender orientation together with other characteristics such as race, class, gender, disability and religion. The McCreary Centre reports that as a result of their sexual/gender orientation, 63% of queer youth surveyed had been verbally assaulted at school, 34% had been threatened with violence and 17% had been physically assaulted.( 18 ) "They Don't Even Know Me", reports that over the five years that this study took place, 111 incidents of violence had been reported in Washington State schools. These incidents ranged from eight gang rapes (only one was reported to police), 22 physical assaults (seven required attention by a doctor), 55 cases of physical, sexual and verbal harassment and 26 climate setting incidents. The average number of offenders to people they had targeted was 2½ -1 and in over one third of the cases, adults did nothing.( 19 ) One study reported that queer youth are three times more likely than heterosexual peers to experience threats or injuries at school, while another study reported that they experienced as much as 60% more threats and injuries.( 20 ) One of the studies reported in "Eighty Three Thousand Youth," the "Seattle Teen Health Risk Survey," was a complete census of the school population in Seattle on one day and can be considered to be a true sample of one community. This study reported that LGBT/GLBT youth describe themselves as having been the target of homophobic harassment or violence over 5 times more likely than their heterosexual peers.( 21 ) H. Counselling, Spiritual and Peer Supports There is currently a debate raging among BC schools and school boards about the appropriateness of including gay/straight clubs, or any curriculum designed to assist queer youth in school with the pain, isolation, rejection, curiosity and just plain questions they have. Statistics on the GLSEN website note that there are over 500 gay/straight alliance clubs in the United States, while currently in BC there is only one organized gay/straight alliance club, although there are plans for more underway. Some might say, "Why should we cater to those 'special interest groups,' we need to help all youth, besides there are only a few of those homosexuals in our schools". To answer this question, consider the facts: the Kinsey study documented that approximately 10% of the population is queer, even if you dispute this figure other studies( 22 ) have noted that queer youth account for 3-5% of the population,( 23 ) and that this figure increases with age.( 24 ) Many students will have siblings and studies show that 6-15% have lesbian or gay sisters or brothers and perhaps 2% have lesbian or gay parents.( 25 ) Beth Reis noted in a 1989 presentation to the Association for Sexuality Education and Training that if you take a student body of 1000 students, between 30 - 100 will be gay or lesbian (that doesn't count bisexual or trans youth). Approximately 60 to 150 will have a gay or lesbian sibling and approximately 20 to 40 will have gay or lesbian parents. This means that 100 - 300 youth will be either gay or lesbian or have an immediate family member that is lesbian or gay.( 26 ) Even if you quibble over the exact numbers, it is clear the LGBT/GLBT youth and their families account for a significant part of the student population and deserve services, which are designed to address the confusion, shame, isolation, and discrimination that they experience. It is clear from anecdotal reports that peer supports such as gay/straight alliance clubs provide the support and lessen the isolation and fear of both queer and non-queer students. "Eighty Three Thousand Youth" reports that out of 5,000 students, at least 2% (100 teens) and possibly as many as 4.5% (225 teens) will probably identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual when they are in high school. The report goes on to state that at least 4.9% (245 teens) and perhaps as many as 8.1% (405 teens) by the time they are in high school, will probably say that they have been harassed because someone thought they were gay.
Many youth
can go to their school counsellors or social workers or even their pastors
for support and counselling. However, most queer youth either cannot make
this choice or chose not to approach these traditional supports because
of their fear of homo/tans/bi-phobic rejection. "Being Out," reports
that:
Two-thirds told their mothers, while just over one third told their fathers. Most queer youth have told a friend they were gay. The majority of those who the youth told were accepting but 8% reported that their parents had sought counselling for them to try to change their sexual orientation.( 29 ) Queer youth also lack access to spiritual supports. Many mainstream religions believe that it is morally wrong to be a sexually practising queer. Since most organized religions range from being unsupportive to actually demonizing queers, this negative and hurtful treatment is especially difficult for a young LGBT/GLBT person, in the process of coming out, who is confused, questioning and in need of support and love. These negative attacks contribute to feelings of isolation, stress, depression, anger and angst that most queers experience and is both a major factor in the high suicide rates of queer youth and of the high rate of drug and alcohol use and unsafe, risky behaviours. The McCreary Centre report agrees with the above ideas. It also reports that many LGBT/GLBT youth who were surveyed actually report higher levels of spirituality or religiosity when compared to mainstream youth in schools (29% vs. 19%) even though these youth face tremendous barriers to accessing traditional and fundamentalist faiths. The majority of these faiths describe homosexuality as morally wrong. These barriers lead youth to feel rejected, alienated and isolated, and increase their levels of stress and risk of suicide.( 30 ) It is clear that most queer youth face a major spiritual crisis if they belong to most traditional faiths and this crisis often extends to their immediate family interactions since they would be likely to practice the same faith.
All of the
following issues can lead queer youth to engage in self-endangering and
high-risk behaviours:
Anti-gay/bi/trans harassment, whether a youth is actually queer, or is seen as being queer, often leads youth to feel suicidal, to attempt and complete suicide plans. There are regular reports in the media of the deaths of these youth, including, most recently, the tragic situation in Surrey of the youth who jumped off a bridge to escape homophobic taunts at school. Many studies report varying levels for queer youth's risk of suicide, however, what is clear is that many queer youth complete suicide plans and many do so because of the lack of support, rejection and isolation they face. Warren Blumenfeld notes in his report, "Youth Suicide", that Gary Remafedi, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, and author of "Death by Denial: Studies of Attempted and Completed Suicide in Gay and Lesbian and Bisexual Youth," found in a 1991 study of 150 gay and lesbian youths in Minneapolis, that more than 30% said they had attempted suicide at least once as a teenager. "The youths who are at the greatest risk for suicide are the ones who are least likely to reveal their sexual orientation to anyone. Suicide may be a way of making sure that no one ever knows. It's homophobia that's killing these kids."( 31 )
He went
on to note that Remafedi "confirmed a 30% suicide rate among gay and
bisexual
youth, and also found that young men with more 'feminine gender role
characteristics'
and those who recognized their same-sex orientation at an early age and
acted on those sexual feelings seem to face the highest risk of self-destructive
behaviour." This study also documents an unusually high relationship
between
homosexuality and:
Thirty percent of these respondents reported at least one suicide attempt, and almost half of the failed attempts reported more than one attempt. The mean age in this sample at the time of the suicide attempts was 15 1/2 years. Ingestion of prescription and/or non-prescription drugs and self-laceration accounted for 80% of the attempts. Twenty one percent of the suicide attempts resulted in medical or psychiatric hospitalization, but almost 3 out of 4 attempts did not receive any medical attention. One-third of the first attempts occurred in the same year that subjects identified their bisexuality or homosexuality, and most other attempts happened soon thereafter. Family problems were the most frequently cited reason for attempts. Eighty-five percent of the failed attempts reported illicit drug use and 22% had undergone chemical dependency treatment.( 32 ) The 1995 Bagley and Tremblay Canadian study conducted in Calgary with 750 young men aged 18-27, shows, for the first time, on the basis of random sampling which was combined with giving clearly believable assurances of anonymity to the study subjects, that over half the young adult males reporting a suicide attempt history (62.5%) were homosexual or bisexual and that young gay men were almost 14 times more likely to have attempted suicide.( 33 ) Attempts are often made to discredit these high rates of suicide risk since many studies do not duplicate these findings. But as noted in an online document describing how health and human services have contributed to the suicide problem in queer communities, "The available body of knowledge suggests that gay/bisexual males may not only be over represented in male youth suicidal problems, but that they may form the majority of male youth committing suicide. However, the available research on male youth suicide has not confirmed this, mostly for reasons related to data gathering omissions and methodological shortcomings." (Tremblay, 1995, and Bagley & Tremblay, in http://www.virtualcity.com/youthsuicide/discuss2.html .( 34 ) What the author is drawing attention to is the fact that most studies do not take into account the homophobia of the researchers, or the survey instrument (e.g. asking questions about sexual intercourse when they mean sexual behaviour), as well as the internalized homophobia and related fears of the survey subjects, all of which combine to give low reporting rates. Other studies also show high rates, ranging from 20 - 50% of queer youth that have made suicide attempts. Twelve North American gay community-based studies of gay and bisexual male youth are reported online and can be found at: http://www.virtualcity.com/youthsuicide/notes2.htm . The McCreary Centre study shows that nearly 46% of the queer youth surveyed had attempted suicide at least once.( 35 ) The 1996 Seattle study demonstrated that GLB identified youth are more at risk (3:1) for suicidal behaviours than heterosexual identified youth, and even more at risk (4:1) for suicidal behaviours requiring medical attention. Other studies report that serious suicide attempt rates range from 3 to 6 times more likely for LGBT/GLBT youth than their heterosexual peers.( 36 ) K. Higher Rates of Child Sexual Abuse LGBT/GLBT youth also experience higher rates of physical and sexual abuse as children do. The McCreary Centre report notes that queer youth surveyed are over three times more likely to have experienced physical abuse (61% vs. 20%) than their heterosexual peers were. They are also over three times more likely to have experienced sexual abuse (40% vs. 12%).( 37 ) Other studies have noted that queer youth experience both physical and sexual abuse approximately 60% more frequently than their heterosexual peers.( 38 ) L. High Rates of Substance Abuse High rates of substance use are another consequence of marginalization, oppression, abuse, isolation, stress and rejection. Queer youth experience increased rates of substance use, most likely in an effort to cope with a hostile world and with feelings of shame, isolation, depression and marginalization. US studies report that queer youth are almost five times (33% vs. 7%) more likely to have used cocaine, and are half again as likely to have engaged in heavy or high risk drug use (35.8% vs. 22.5%).( 39 ) "Being Out" reports that queer youth are almost twice as likely to have used marijuana (75% vs. 41%) and that they use cocaine at not quite three times the rate of their peers.( 40 ) Eating disorders are also prevalent in the young gay male population. The McCreary study reports that in comparison to heterosexual youth, more than twice as many queer youth report purging at least once in a while (15% vs. 6%).( 41 ) Other studies note that queer youth reported rates of purging or having taken laxatives to lose weight from over three times to eleven times more likely than their heterosexual peers.( 42 ) Queer youth face marginalization, not only from mainstream society, but also by the very communities in which they take part. Queer youth are often not supported by established gay business while they must also face discrimination when they seek employment in traditional sectors.( 43 ) Poverty issues are compounded by discrimination in employment, and 21% of LGB's believe they have not been hired due to discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Gender Dysphoria Clinic in Vancouver also reports that transgendered persons have difficulty in obtaining employment.( 44 ) O. Social Marginalization within the Gay Community In addition to marginalization due to poverty and employment issues, some queer youth also experience marginalization in their social interactions within the gay communities. Some gay male youth are being 'preyed upon' by some segments of the gay male community. The topic of queer youth coming out and being 'preyed upon' by some members of the gay communities is not intended to increase the homophobia and homophobic-related attacks that the gay communities already experience, nevertheless, it is a topic which needs to be discussed. Discussing this important, yet very controversial issue of inter-generational sex does not mean that we believe that all gay men are predators or pedophiles. We know that some queer youth actually prefer to have older lovers. We also know that most gay men are not pedophiles and that the majority of this type of predatory behaviour comes from heterosexual men. However some older gay men do prey upon queer youth; many of these men were also preyed upon when they were young. These older men use many tactics, including the queer youth's need for love, acceptance, food and a home to coerce them into having sex, at time unprotected. To many youth it feels like a meat market, to others it seems natural because they don't see any other way of living. We need to discuss this topic not only because it was brought up in the health stream by queer youth who were obviously in distress about this kind of behaviour but also because not speaking about it condones it and contributes to the health risk of queer youth. To not speak up because we fear the prejudice and attacks from homophobic detractors does a disservice to our desire to help create a legacy of hope for queer youth. It would do a disservice to the queer youth that spoke up with courage. Finally, it would silence their voices and their ability to make their needs known, thereby perpetuating the violence they experience.( 45 , 46 ) There is a directly related fear among many gay men that leads them to avoid contact with gay youth even though supporting queer youth can be a very loving expression of care. This fear is based on a false societal perception of what will likely happen, a non-reality based fear that all gay men are pedophiles. This societal homophobia has been made worse by sensationalized media coverage of a few incidents. Gay professionals who work with youth such as teachers are often subjected to pickets, threats, name-calling, youth being removed from their care and intense (and mostly negative) media attention. This homophobic and heterosexist treatment, which marks a gay professional as different from a heterosexual one, has a huge impact on their professional peers; they fear what may happen to them. It has an equally profound impact on the queer youth who then consequently lack mentors and/or who see their mentors ostracized and violated, further internalizing their own homophobia.( 47 ) Compounding this issue is a focus in the gay community on looks and desirability as a means of self worth. Gay man are subject to similar pressures that heterosexual women face with regards to needing to be just the right body shape and look in order to attract a man. There is a 'pretty-boy mentality' reflected in gay media and many gay establishments that has created the anonymous male predator and has led to objectifying queer youth. Ads, posters and events are almost universally devoted to depicting beautiful young men with stereotypical looks and body types with the theme that gay men must have this look in order to be desirable.( 48 ) Many youth actually shave their chest in order to be 'more attractive' and there is tremendous pressure to fit in, to have a certain look. This pressure to conform to a certain body type leads to an increased rate of eating disorders among the gay male population, as well as the potential for increased stress and depression if, and when, a gay youth discovers he just doesn't fit that mould. Many youth are told that to be a gay male, a 'player', this identity comes with 'dressing as a player - and having the body of a player'. This desire-ability comes with a particular kind of gay male identity and this desirability is also marketable and can be used to exchange sex for food, money or access to the gay community. It needs to be said that although many gay youth find this degrading, certainly there are others who do not object to this practice. This self-perpetuating cycle of self-esteem being linked to desirability and to high-risk behaviours is a result of a legacy of learning as a gay youth.( 49 ) Queer youth must face all of these homophobic, lesbo-phobic, transphobic, bi-phobic, racist, genderist, ableist, classist, ageist and lookist barriers while at the same time their very existence is marginalized and made invisible through lack of inclusion in school curriculum, in media and in the absence of positive role models. All of the above tales of struggle are not intended in any way to take away from the strength and courage of queer youth. They are remarkably resilient and determined to succeed in the face of an often-hostile world. Perhaps the next report would be better to focus on their remarkable, positive characteristics so that the world can truly reflect of the gift they give to us by their presence. This report is intended to take another step in taking responsibility for helping some of our future leaders; our next generation, to move forward and take up the pride they so richly deserve. There is much healing and work that needs to be done in order to create the legacy of hope we seek to leave behind for our next seven generations. As my Aboriginal elders tell me, "We must look to the next seven generations for it is through them that all our relations will be cared for in our future."
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