Suicide is a serious issue in the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community. The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to lowering the LGBTQ suicide rate, says that LGBTQ teens and young adults are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. Many people also commit suicide each year because they are perceived to be gay even if they are heterosexual. Fortunately, there are resources within the LGBTQ community for people who may be contemplating suicide. If you or someone you love is suicidal, contact these resources as well as your physican for help.
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is the first organization in the United States to provide a suicide hotline geared towards LGBTQ people. Volunteers take calls 24 hours a day from LGBTQ people considering suicide as well as from friends and family who may be concerned about supporting a suicidal LGBTQ person. All calls are confidential and anonymous. In addition to the suicide hotline, the Trevor Project maintains a website that includes resources for LGBTQ youth and their families as well as information about suicide prevention.
Contact information for the Trevor Project is:
The Trevor Project
9056 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 208
West Hollywood, CA 90069
866-488-7386 (hotline)
310-271-8845 (general information)
Project Lifevest
Project Lifevest is a support organization for LGBTQ people who are facing depression or isolation due to real or perceived discrimination. It works to establish safe places for LGBTQ people to gather as well as maintaining a 24-hour call center for LGBTQ people to get counseling, advice and support. Project Lifevest also maintains a list of adults willing to take in LGBTQ youth who have been ejected from their homes because they are non-heterosexual. Although Project Lifevest's call center is not a suicide hotline, the support it offers helps lower the suicide rate by helping LGBTQ youth feel less alone.
Contact information for Project Lifevest is:
Project Lifevest
PO Box 221
Cochran, Georgia 31014
510-725-1408
What to Do
If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, it is important to take it seriously. Get help or support through one of the resources listed above. You should also tell someone you know and trust such as a friend, counselor, or physician so that they can get you the help you need. If you or someone you love is in immediate danger of hurting yourself, call 911 for emergency help or visit your city's emergency room.
If you are LGBTQ, also consider coming out to friends and family. Sometimes the act of hiding who you are can make you feel more isolated than you really are.
Stephanie Silberstein - Shula J Asher Silberstein writes informational articles in the hopes that he will change the world for somebody with every word he ...
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