Homosexuality in Teens

Sammi Pritchard
What is Homosexuality?
A person who identifies as homosexual is one who is physically, romantically
and/or emotionally attracted to individuals of the same gender with which they
identify.

It can include; bisexual, demi-sexual, or Queer.

The Prevalence of Homosexuality and some statistics
4 in 10 LGBT youth say that where they live is not accepting of LGBT people.

LGBT youth contemplate suicide almost 3 times as much as a heterosexual teens,

LGBT people are targeted for more hate crimes; 2x that of muslims, 4x of Jews, and
more than 14x more likely than Latinos

92% of LGBT youth say they hear negative messages about being LGBT, mostly
from school.

● There is no exact prevalence for LGBT people, but it is estimated to be about 9

million Americans.
What are the behavioral issues of LGBT youth?
LGBT youth could cause some emotional distress, this could be due to them being
stigmatized as certain homophobic names, or bullying.

LGBT youth could be very quiet and excluded from their peers, some parents do
believe that you can “catch” the gay “virus” and could pass that belief onto their kids.
This could also be due to certain religious beliefs. (However, they have become
more accepting in recent years.
Strategies to help support LGBT youth.
Build Strong connections and keep communication open. Since LGBT youth feel
excluded it is important for you, the teacher, let them know that they are supported
and accepted.

Sexual Orientation protection could be added to school policy, however, some

schools are reluctant to do that.

Create the Gay-Straight-Alliance to help create a safer school.

Protect privacy, do NOT discuss LGBT issues to parents or other peers.

Do not treat them any differently from other kids, they are humans like you and me.
Resources and Supports
Therapy could help them understand that this is NOT a problem. They are who they
are and should be treated with respect.

There are various LGBT centers to help others figure out who they are inside.

The Center; https://7riverslgbtq.org/

Sources
http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/article/overview-sexual-orientations

https://www.hrc.org/youth-report/view-and-share-statistics

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/preventing-suicide/facts-about-
suicide/#sm.0000c4yg8sy7kde1uno10sjl33uuw

http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/blog-post/lgbt-america-numbers

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3707280/

https://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/groups/lgbt/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth-resources.htm