Suicide is a well-known issue in society in general. However, many are unaware that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and teens that fall on other places on the spectrum (LGBT+) are more likely to kill themselves than their straight/cisgender (those who identify with the gender assigned at birth) peers. According to The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to LGBT+ youth mental health, every time a LGBT+ teen is bullied or harassed because of their sexuality or gender, they become 2.5 times more likely to self-harm.

41 percent of transgender teens attempt suicide, shown by research by The Williams Institute. “The problem with transgender suicide is it’s not given light inside and outside of the community and when it does receive attention birth names and the wrong pronouns are used,” said senior Zoey Joyce.

A driving force behind these suicides are the intense bullying and abuse LGBT+ teens face at the hands of both fellow teenagers and adults.  Many LGBT+ teens have unaccepting parents and intolerant peers. 64 percent of LGBT+ teens have reported feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation. 44 percent felt unsafe because of their gender identity according to nobullying.com.

The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reported that 44 percent of LGBT+ students experienced physical harassment. Studies have also shown that having parents who reject their child’s sexual orientation or gender are eight times more likely to commit suicide.

These issues can cause teens to have lower grades, become more likely to drop out of school and face more disciplinary problems that their heterosexual/cisgender peers. Additionally, unaccepting environments trap teens in the closet or prevent them from speaking up about their experiences. “73% of LGBT youth say they are more honest online than in the real world,” according to nobullying.com.

However, the internet isn’t always safe either. Tyler Clementi was a student at Rutgers University and openly gay. His roommate used a webcam to film Clementi during an intimate act and spread it online, causing Clementi to become an object of ridicule.

After learning that his roommate was planning to set up another webcam, Clementi committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge.

Religion fueled discrimination also plays a part in the isolation that LGBT+ teenagers feel, especially if the teens are religious. When religious leaders use holy texts to justify their bigoted views, religious LGBT+ teens can feel isolation and pain.

Religion is supposed to guide people and show them right from wrong. But when used to justify hate, it sends the message that LGBT+ teens are a living sin and that religious LGBT+ teens aren’t accepted by their god/s.

Issues exist within the LGBT+ community as well. Bi-, Pan-, and Asexual members face discrimination from allosexuals (those who experience sexual attraction) and monosexuals (those attracted to one gender). Bi- and Pansexual teenagers are often told that they are greedy, selfish, confused, and/or faking their attraction to multiple genders for attention. Asexuals are frequently told that they are broken, not “really” a part of the LGBT+ community, and that they “just haven’t found The One yet”.

These ideas are extremely harmful. Bi- and Pansexual people are not automatically confused because they are attracted to multiple genders. Bi- and Pansexuals are not inherently greedy or selfish. Saying that they are is like saying that someone is greedy for liking more than one movie or book genre.

Asexual people do not need to meet “The One” because there is no “One” who will make them experience sexual attraction. They are not broken and don’t need fixing. Insisting that Asexuals do need to be fixed will only cause further harm.

The LGBT+ community is supposed to be a safe and accepting place, but when teens encounter narrow-mindedness within the safe space, it can further the already existing feelings of isolation that drive some to suicide.