Oh my, it’s another sad day in the presidency of Donald Trump, Bully in Chief. In trouble whichever way he turns, he has resorted to what republicans love to do: use fear and loathing to distract and excite his base. But he seems to have miscalculated just how much support for LGBTQ there is in America, despite the best efforts of the “christian” right.
On days like this, I can’t help but sink into despair for the teens who suffer the most whenever this particular group is chosen to be the recipients of republican fear and loathing. For I knew one of them once.
Four years ago, my nephew, who was either gay or transgender, could no longer endure the pain of it. We’ll never know for sure how he identified himself, because he took his own life in one of the most horrendous and irreversible ways possible: He stood in front of a moving freight train. That’s how much pain he was in.
It has taken four years for his parents to pick themselves off the floor (literally) and continue their lives. For my brother-in-law to be able to get through a work day without crying and for my sister-in- law to allow herself to enjoy some of the things that gave her pleasure before her son died.
So, our president, whose job it should be to protect children, is literally picking on children, and their families, when he decides to sacrifice LGBTQ troops on his alter of hate. He is setting them up for the inevitable wave of hate now coming their way. This was predictable, yet it still makes me feel sick to my stomach because I know the statistics too well:
From the Trevor Project website:
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24.
The rate of suicide attempts is 4 times greater for LGB youth and 2 times greater for questioning youth than that of straight youth.
In a national study, 40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25.
LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection.
Each episode of LGBT victimization, such as physical or verbal harassment or abuse, increases the likelihood of self-harming behavior by 2.5 times on average.
Please visit the Trevor Project Website at http://www.thetrevorproject.org and lend your support.