Care for Youth
Youth who are LGBT or questioning their sexuality are of special concern to people of faith. According to one recent study1, a surprisingly large number of teenagers involved in churches self-identified as homosexual or bisexual. In fact, most congregations have at least one teen who self-identifies as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or who is unsure about his or her sexual orientation. Many of these teens have concerns over how to relate their sexual orientation to their faith and how accepted they would be if the congregation knew about their sexual orientation or their questions.
In this study, teens who weren't heterosexual were almost twice as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to have seriously considered suicide. To Christians who are concerned about the well-being of others, this finding is troubling. When teens are being harassed, put down, or estranged from their families, when they feel alienated and judged for who they are, when they're lonely, hurting, or suicidal—that's a matter of concern for Christians.
☑ Take the quiz How Much Do You Know About Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth?
Caring people in families, churches, and communities can make a difference in the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) teens. A new study2 suggests that acceptance, or even neutrality, with regard to a young person's sexual orientation could have a big impact on reducing the rates of suicide attempts and other destructive behavior. A church community could take on strengthening
- building an accepting and inclusive youth group
- connecting youth with supportive adults
- providing programs that strengthen communication and coping skills
- offering sexuality education programs
- developing and enforcing anti-harassment policies
These types of activities will not only help reduce the disparate rate of suicidal behavior in LGBTQ youth, but will also help promote their health, safety, and inclusion as visible and empowered members of our congregations and communities.
"Our family participated in our church's Christian sexuality education classes for teens and parents. It opened up communication among us, and we all learned things about sexuality that we didn't realize before. As a result of the class, we've had some interesting discussions on gender."
1Faith Matters: Teenagers, Religion, and Sexuality, 2003. Steve Clapp, Kristen Leverton Helbert, and Angela Zizak, Ft. Wayne, IN: LifeQuest.
2Pediatrics, Vol. 123, No. 1, January 2009. Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults. Caitlin Ryan, PhD, ACSW; David Huebner, PhD, MPH; Rafael M. Diaz, PhD; and Jorge Sanchez, BA. In this study, a clear link is established between specific rejecting behaviors on the part of parents and caregivers and negative health problems in young lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults.
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