Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth
Disease Information
Overview
Who you are as a sexual being is just one aspect of who you are as a person. Once someone learns about all that a person has to offer in addition to his sexuality, the less there is to fear.
Maurice Melchiono, RN, MS, CFNP
Research indicates that the social stigma that surrounds lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens can lead to a variety of health risks, such as:
By the numbers
- 3% of the males and females in a Growing Up Today study described themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual
- 23,655: number of same-sex households in Massachusetts
- 86.7: percent of GLBT students nationally who report being verbally harassed
- 242: number of high schools in Massachusetts with Gay/Straight Alliances
- 3X: suicide attempt rate is 3 times higher among GLBT youth
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2X: compared with adolescents who were heterosexual, gay, lesbian and bi-sexual boys and girls were more than 2x’s as likely to use drugs
Sexuality and teen homelessness Children’s Hospital Boston led a study of more than 6,300 Massachusetts public high school students, finding that 15 percent of bisexual teens are homeless, 25 percent of lesbian or gay teens are homeless and only 3 percent of heterosexual teens are homeless. This suggests that some lesbian, gay and bisexual teens may lack support from their families. Learn more about this study, and resources available to GLB teens in the Children’s newsroom.
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Related conditions and treatments:
No place like home? One in four LGB teens are driven out
Tragic stories of teens being bullied and ostracized at school have been saturating media headlines. But while these tales are making news, there’s another story to be told: that of homosexual teens’ estrangement—even banishment—from their families. New reserach from Boston Children's Hospital looks into this troubling issue.
Clinical Services
