Study: Family rejection dangerous for gays and lesbians
Thursday, January 08, 2009 at 1:42 pm
- 1 Comment
A new study released this week has demonstrated a link between familial rejection among lesbian, gay and bisexual youth and health problems in young adulthood.
“Our research has established a predictive link between specific, negative family reactions to their child’s sexual orientation and serious health problems for these adolescents in young adulthood — such as depression, illegal drug use, risk for HIV infection, and suicide attempts,” said Dr. Caitlin Ryan of the César E. Chávez Institute at San Francisco State University.
Paradoxically, religious right groups frequently slam the LGBT community on the grounds that the “lifestyle” leads to high rates of depression, drug use, HIV infection and suicide attempts. This research suggests that the religious right’s efforts to cast gays and lesbians in a negative light might actually directly contribute to the very problems they associate with gays and lesbians.
Photo via laverrue.
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Comment posted January 11, 2009 @ 3:46 pm
There has been a long standing correlation between social rejection and depression. Statistically, infringed social groups, WITH a family structure, tend to have a higher rate of crime and drug use. Removing the family dynamic from any infringed social group could increase depression thus leading to higher drug use and STI / STD’s.
Then religion. . .History is riddled with impact of religious dogma and its impact on people with conflicting beliefs. Compound that with the breakdown of the family structure and of coarse there’s a increased risk of suicide.
I think it’s great that Dr. Ryan is bringing focus on this subject. However, the research would bear the same results on any individual rejected by both family and religion. This is not about LGBT, it’s about the breakdown of a support structure.
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