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June 17, 2019
Tom Hehir
San Francisco
Our diocese and faith communities are committed to the right to life as evidenced in the archdiocese’s involvement in pro-life initiatives.
As a proud gay Catholic, I urge our community to consider an essential pro-life issue impacting our GLBT+ youth.
1. LGBT adolescents have the highest rate of suicide attempts (“Study: Tolerance Can Lower Gay Kids’ Suicide Risk,” Joseph Shapiro, National Public Radio, Dec. 29, 2008. Accessed at https://n.pr/2Zn9vwq).
2. Sexual minority youth were more than three times as likely to attempt suicide as heterosexual peers (“Estimating the Risk of Attempted Suicide Among Sexual Minority Youths: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” Ester di Giacomo, et al, JAMA Pediatrics, December 2018. Accessed at https://bit.ly/2WzLVdK).
3. 40 percent of those identifying as transgender have attempted suicide in their lifetime (“Suicide Statistics That We’d Like to See Changed in 2019,” Hannah Kwawu, Crisis Text Line, Sept. 24, 2018. Accessed at https://bit.ly/2KgiCv8).
During Pride month, I urge us as Catholics to do whatever it takes to fight for our youth by becoming more welcoming, inclusive, and non-judgmental. I also hope we can fight for these lives with the same tenacity, commitment, and voice as other pro-life concerns.
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