Adolescence, at the best of times, can be like a roller coaster. It is filled with new experiences and adventures, but at the same time filled with confusion and stress. As adolescents navigate through their teenage years, they face many challenges. Bodies, relationships with family and friends, and moods change rapidly as they travel through social, psychological, and physiological puberty.
In our society, to be a teenager who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered means added challenges. Acceptance of oneself, and acceptance from others, is very important. Many of our LGBT teens are at risk of depression, dropping out of school, violence, rejection by family and friends, homelessness, drug abuse, and even suicide.
In the United States alone, there are an estimated 3 million LGBT youth, and most of them have nowhere to turn when they are faced with homophobia, discrimination, and violence. Because of this, the suicide rate for LGBT youth is very high. One third of all adolescents who commit suicide are part of the LGBT community. In addition, LGBT teens are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts.
[...]
Complete article at 10 Thousand Couples : http://bit.ly/nLOElT
