Pri Month: It’s time to talk about the shockgly high rate of suici among gay and bisexual men. Photos and stori the Still Here project document the plex reasons.
Contents:
- DEPRSN IS KILLG GAY MEN
- SUICI OF GAY COUPLE ROCKS ARMENIA
- MATURE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN AND SUICI
- GAY, BISEXUAL MEN UTAH N GIVE BLOOD UNR PANY’S LOOSENED RTRICTNS
- JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR MEN'S PRO SPORTS TO INTIFY AS GAY
DEPRSN IS KILLG GAY MEN
* gay men suicide *
Gay and bisexual men are four tim more likely to attempt suici their lifetime than heterosexual men. Rearchers now timate that suici kills more gay and bisexual men than AIDS. Gay and bisexual men are rarely mentned mental health polici.
Homophobia — wh fai, schools, muni and even doctors and unsellors offic — is a key e, acrdg to the Still Here project wh the Men’s Health Rearch Program at the Universy of Brish Columbia.
As a postdoctoral rearch fellow nursg at the Universy of Brish Columbia, I work on the Still Here project to engage gay and bisexual men who have prevly stggled wh suici (or who have lost another gay or bisexual man to suici) to tell their stori through photographs.
SUICI OF GAY COUPLE ROCKS ARMENIA
Gay men experience more prsn and suici, but help is available. * gay men suicide *
Twenty-ne gay and bisexual men have participated Still Here th far, ntributg more than 300 photographs. Together, the photos and stori are helpg better unrstand the multiple factors that lead gay and bisexual men to nsir suici. Homophobia a mon theme.
Each story is unique and we are fdg that the reasons gay and bisexual rearch participants nsir suici are varied. Homophobia is, however, a mon theme ung all the stori and photos.
MATURE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN AND SUICI
Homosexual suici is a ser issue and gay suici rat are startlg. Learn more about LGBTQIA+ suici and how to prevent . * gay men suicide *
Others learned to ternalize society’s negative view of gay and bisexual people. Many Still Here participants also scribed how they were nonted wh homophobia and stigmatizg attus when they opened up to talk about their feelgs to their doctor or unsellor. Bee of homophobia, men scribed feelg isolated, lonely and visible.
Homophobia is not the only reason the men ntemplated suici. The first preventn strategy is to improve mental health servic for gay and bisexual men.
Mental-health profsnals and doctors also need better trag to addrs the plex needs of gay and bisexual men, and to rce homophobic and stigmatizg attus.
GAY, BISEXUAL MEN UTAH N GIVE BLOOD UNR PANY’S LOOSENED RTRICTNS
On June 10, 2023, KPD as sent to 1800 block of Gaynor Drive reference to two shootg victims. * gay men suicide *
Legal progrs has been ma Canada for sexual mori but homophobia ntu to impact the liv of many gay and bisexual men. A study published 2015 found that half of gay and bisexual men have been harassed or bullied bee of their sexualy. One 10 has been gay-bashed.
If we do not elimate homophobia and if we fail to change perceptns of mental illns, gay and bisexual men will ntue to endure high rat of suici. Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach a US men’s profsnal sports league to e out as gay.
Per Outsports, as of September 2022, there have only ever been 16 players NFL history to publicly e out as gay or bisexual. Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player league history to announce that he is gay 2021.
JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR MEN'S PRO SPORTS TO INTIFY AS GAY
Gay and bisexual men are more likely to have attempted and succeed at suici. * gay men suicide *
Per Outsports, Maxen is the “first publicly out male ach a major Amerin men’s pro sports league,” wh WNBA ach Curt Miller, who publicly me out to the media as gay 2015, also a publicly out male ach an Amerin profsnal sports league. It’s well known to the pot of stereotype that gay men experience higher rat of HIV, substance abe, and suici.
The 2013 fifth edn of the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn's Diagnostic and Statistil Manual (DSM) f prsn clilly as a prsive mood or loss of tert or pleasure nearly all activi over a two-week perd, along wh four of the symptoms: “chang appete or weight, sleep, and psychomotor activy; creased energy; feelgs of worthlsns or guilt; difficulty thkg, ncentratg, or makg cisns; or recurrent thoughts of ath or suicidal iatn or suici plans or attempts. Rearch suggts that prsn gay men often starts early adolcence and ntu to young adulthood. It’s not surprisg to know that homophobia is a major ntributor—or that homophobia-duced prsn n lead to harmful out.
A 2009 Pediatrics study found that young gay and lbian people om fai that rejected them were 8. An Amerin study of gay men found that those who perceived creased homophobia and danger were more likely to report prsive symptoms. Feelg unaccepted and rejected by the gay muny—as do too many gay and bisexual men of lor and those livg wh HIV—were also found to crease the risk for prsn.