Sexual Orientation and Suicide Attempt Disparities Among US Adolescents: 2009–2017

BACKGROUND Sexual minority adolescents face mental health disparities relative to heterosexual adolescents. We evaluated temporal changes in US adolescent reported sexual orientation and suicide attempts by sexual orientation. METHODS We used Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance data from 6 states that collected data on sexual orientation identity and 4 states that collected data on sex of sexual contacts continuously between 2009 and 2017. We estimated odds ratios using logistic regression models to evaluate changes in reported sexual orientation identity, sex of consensual sexual contacts, and suicide attempts over time and calculated marginal effects (MEs). RESULTS The proportion of adolescents reporting minority sexual orientation identity nearly doubled, from 7.3% in 2009 to 14.3% in 2017 (ME: 0.8 percentage points [pp] per year; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6 to 0.9 pp). The proportion of adolescents reporting any same-sex sexual contact increased by 70%, from 7.7% in 2009 to 13.1% in 2017 (ME: 0.6 pp per year; 95% CI: 0.4 to 0.8 pp). Although suicide attempts declined among students identifying as sexual minorities (ME: –0.8 pp per year; 95% CI: –1.4 to –0.2 pp), these students remained >3 times more likely to attempt suicide relative to heterosexual students in 2017. Sexual minority adolescents accounted for an increasing proportion of all adolescent suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS The proportion of adolescents reporting sexual minority identity and same-sex sexual contacts increased between 2009 and 2017. Disparities in suicide attempts persist. Developing and implementing approaches to reducing sexual minority youth suicide is critically important.

Bisexual Women’s Experiences of Stigma and Verbal Sexual Coercion: The Roles of Internalized Heterosexism and Outness

In the current study, we examined how bisexual women’s unique experiences of sexual identity stigma might elevate their risk for verbal sexual coercion. Online survey data were collected from 350 self-identified bisexual women. Hayes PROCESS macro was used to test moderated-mediation and mediation analyses. Results indicated that anti-bisexual experiences (from both heterosexual and lesbian/gay individuals) were associated with greater internalized heterosexism (i.e., internalization of negative societal attitudes and stereotypes about one’s minority sexual orientation), which in turn was associated with increased odds of experiencing verbal sexual coercion. We did not find moderating effects of outness, such that internalized heterosexism mediated the relation between anti-bisexual experiences and verbal sexual coercion regardless of bisexual women’s levels of outness. Findings suggest that anti-bisexual experiences and internalized heterosexism are associated with bisexual women’s elevated risk for experiencing verbal sexual coercion. There is a need for targeted sexual violence prevention and risk reduction efforts that take into account the unique experiences and vulnerabilities of bisexual women in victimization risk. Results also highlight the need for campaigns that reduce sexual orientation-related stigma at the population level in order to prevent negative health outcomes among bisexual women.

An Exploratory Structural Equation Model of Stress-Related Experiences Among Justice-Involved Youth: A Gender Comparison

Youth involved in the juvenile justice system demonstrate greater risk of exposure to negative life experiences. The present study explores the prevalence of three stress-related experiences (sexual assault victimization, bullying/victimization, and minority sexual orientation) among newly arrested adolescents. Gender (biological sex) differences were examined as well as associations with sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, substance use, and sexually transmitted infection (STI). Factor analyses found a single factor of stress for both genders. Prevalence rates for bullying/victimization, sexual assault victimization, and sexual minority status were higher for girls than boys. Girls were also more likely than boys to test positive for STIs and experience depressive symptoms, while boys were more likely than girls to test positive for marijuana use. Depression and drug-related problems were associated with the stress construct for girls only. Bivariate comparisons with the three stress measures and sociodemographic characteristics indicated age and race effects. Implications are discussed.

Ireland and our LGBT Community

Basic figures: – A large majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that gay men and lesbians (88%), bisexual people (87%) and transgender people (85%) “should be free to live their own life as they wish”. – Women were significantly more likely than men to agree with the above statement in respect to every identity group. People aged 25-34 years were significantly more likely than the general population to disagree with the statement. – On average, respondents were comfortable having people with a minority sexual orientation or gender identity as neighbours. Responses were significantly more positive towards having lesbians (M=8.51), bisexual people (M=8.40) and gay men (M=8.38) as neighbours compared to transgender people (M=7.98). – High levels of empathy were expressed with crime victims across all identity categories. Respondents were similarly empathetic towards heterosexual couples (M= 9.01), lesbian couples (M=9.05) and transgender persons (M=8.86) who are physically assaulted on the street. However, gay couples (M= 8.55) attracted significantly less empathy than a lesbian couple in similar circumstances. – Respondents were significantly more likely to intervene on behalf of a victim with a disability (M=7.86), than on behalf of an LGBT victim (M=6.96), but significantly more likely to intervene on behalf of an LGBT victim than an Irish Traveller (M= 5.82). – Respondents reported similar willingness to intervene on behalf of a lesbian pushed and slapped on the street by a stranger (M=7.38) and a transgender person (M= 7.03) in the same situation. Respondents were significantly more unlikely to intervene on behalf of a gay man (M=6.63) or bisexual person (M= 6.89) compared to a lesbian. – A third of respondents (33%) disagreed that violence against lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people is a “serious problem in my country”, but more than half (58%) agreed that hate crimes hurt more than equivalent, non-bias, crimes.

Entrepreneurship and the Gay Minority

This paper provides a review and rationale concerning the importance of researching entrepreneurship amongst those of minority sexual orientation. Based on emerging theories about, and evidence of, entrepreneurship as a heterogeneous phenomenon, the paper explores the potential contribution that studies of minority entrepreneurship can make to the understanding of diversity, as opposed to universality, amongst entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. In the absence of research on gay entrepreneurship specifically, especially in the UK, the author explores reasons for the silence amongst researchers, including some of the main challenges, namely: variable degrees of minority-status disclosure; a corresponding lack of data about the size of the minority; definition issues; and the potential avoidance of the minority by ‘objective’ scholars. A summary of reasons why entrepreneurship might be an attractive prospect for gay people is provided. The paper also argues that research amongst gay entrepreneurs may prove to be valuable in terms of its potential to contribute to economic advantage both for the minority and for the greater society, and ultimately to increase understanding within the entrepreneurship discipline generally.