![Teensmoking_0](https://www.advocate.com/media-library/teensmoking-0.jpg?id=32714898&width=1200&height=876)
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
It should be little surprise anymore that gay high
school students face greater risks to their well-being than straight classmates. But the severe degree of risk these students face has authorities "very concerned" about the "dramatic disparities" found in a lengthy study released today from the federal government.
The analysis, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, concluded that gay youth are at increased risk not only for suicide but also for seven out of the 10 health dangers it tracks.
"This report should be a wake-up call," Howell Weschsler, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health, said in a news release. "We are very concerned that these students face such dramatic disparities for so many different health risks."
Of straight students, the CDC found that 8% to 19% are cigarette smokers. The percentage for gay and lesbian students varied from 20% to 48% among depending on the location surveyed. The story is much the same for violence, binge drinking, drug use, and even weight problems.
Bisexual students are often at highest risk. Binge drinking, for example, was a problem for 15.9% to 44.4% of straight students and for 17.3% to 44.4% of gay students, but it hit 33% to 63.3% of bisexual students.
Much of what's ailing these students can be attributed to a lack of "safe and supportive environments," according to the CDC report, which mentioned a survey that found gay and lesbian students feel unsafe while at school.
The CDC calls for state and local governments to do more -- in the form of policies or programs such as gay-straight alliances -- to combat what's happening to gay youth. It also calls for better information. The center's analysis was based on a common tool for judging the risk of students -- called the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System -- but in 2009 only 10 states and seven large school districts even asked whether students were gay or bisexual.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Joe Biden sends queer lawmakers & LGBTQ+ allies to Paris Olympics
July 24 2024 12:08 PM
Kamala Harris rides wave of Democratic energy at kickoff event in Wisconsin
July 23 2024 3:36 PM
'Devastated:' A six-week abortion ban will go into effect in Iowa next week
July 23 2024 2:28 PM
Four hours, 44,000 Black women, and one Zoom call
July 23 2024 2:17 PM
Record 1.2 million people show out for Cologne’s Pride parade
July 23 2024 10:51 AM