IMPACT

Studies have shown school environments don't usually contribute to improving the self-esteem of gay students, which compounds the abuse they receive in other aspects of their lives

The Impact on Gay Youth:

• 22% of gay youth skipped because they felt "unsafe", compared to only 5% of heterosexual youth
• 80% of gay youth report severe social isolation
• 28% of gay students drop-out because of harassment relating to their sexual orientation
• gay youth account for 28% to 40% of all homeless youth (28% of these youth resort to survival sex (prostitution) to survive)
• suicide among self-identified gay youth is 3 times higher than in heterosexual youth (the average for self-identified heterosexual youth is 9.9%)
• 30% of all completed suicides are by self-identified gay youth