All posts tagged: suicide

R U OK? 12 Videos of LGBTI People Talking Mental Health & Suicide

Published by thequeerav

R U OK? is a question Gavin Larkin started asking in 2009 due to the loss of his father to suicide in 1995. His aim, to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with life. Now, R U OK Day is a widely popular day in the year where Australians are encouraged to communicate and check in with their loved ones with the overall aim of preventing suicide. Suicide is a particularly important issue for the LGBTI community given their higher rate of suicidality than any other population in Australia: LGBTI young people aged 16 to 27 are five times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population Transgender people aged 18 and over are nearly eleven times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population People with an Intersex variation aged 16 and over are nearly six times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population LGBT young people who experience abuse and harassment are even more likely to attempt suicide 16% of …

Ian Thorpe: "I’m comfortable saying I’m a gay man"

Published by thequeerav

Ian Thorpe, former Australian Olympic swimmer, has come out as gay  in an interview with Michael Parkinson. If you haven’t heard already, you’ve probably been living under a BIG GAY rock. “I’m comfortable saying I’m a gay man and I don’t want young people to feel the same way that I did,” said Thorpe, who also discussed his battle with depression and suicidal ideation. “You can grow up, you can be comfortable, and you can be gay.” Thorpe has been in the spot light from a young age, and has been asked about his sexuality right from the get go. “I concealed this and I think that I’ve held this as such a weight and there’s so much pain in this,” he said. “I had anger around this because I felt like I shouldn’t have been asked about it. If I wasn’t asked I feel as though I would have been much younger when I came out as being comfortable about this.” I think a lot of people would agree, coming out shouldn’t be this …

Trevor Project Volunteer Completes Suicide

Published by thequeerav

Eric James Borges, a volunteer with The Trevor Project (a crisis intervention organization) completed suicide January 11, 2012. The death of the 19 year old was very unexpected by all, with Borges having uploaded an ‘It Gets Better’ video on YouTube only very recently. In the video he talked about his childhood, the bullying he endured and the loss of his family because of his sexual orientation. “My mother knew I was gay and performed an exorcism on me in an attempt to cure me. My anxiety, depression, self-loathing and suicidal thoughts spiked. I had nowhere safe to go, either at home or school,” Borges said. “You will love and be loved and I love you. You have an entire life, fit to burst with opportunities ahead of you. Don’t ever give up and don’t ever for one second think that you’re not a valuable and beautiful contribution to this world. It gets better.” Laura McGuinnis, a spokeswoman for the Trevor Project told The Washington Post that because he was working with suicide prevention he knew the counselling …