MPIPP News
Vol. 2, No. 10

MPIPP UPDATE

Letter to 500+ school superintendents:
In reponse to a mailing earlier in the year from the American College of Pediatricians (not to be confused with the widely respected American Academy of Pediatrics), MPIPP sent a letter to over 500 school superintendents in Michigan that included a copy of "Just the Facts: A primer for school officials." This booklet was developed by a national coalition of health and mental health professionals, educators, and a national religious organization and provides basic information on sexual orientation. The letter encourages schools to adopt anti-bullying policies if they have not already done so and recommends the Department of Education's model policy. In addition, we recommend that staff be trained and offer educational programs on bullying. You can find the "Just the Facts" booklet on our website at http://www.mpipp.org/lgbtq-youth.htm.

Op-Ed: MPIPP also sent an Op-Ed to the Lansing State Journal in response to the recent suicides of LGBTQ students and bullying. You can find a copy of the op-ed by clicking here.

Unfortunately, many newspapers do not publish an op-ed if it has been published in another newspaper. However, as an MPIPP volunteer you are welcome to cut and paste any of the information you desire from the op-ed or research data from our website and submit it as a signed letter to the editor in your local newspaper. Generally signed letters are more limited in the number of words that can be submitted. Please let us know if you do this and it gets published.

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MICHIGAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION (MPAF) HOSTS ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

The MPAF's annual fundraiser will be held Sunday, November 7 at the Oakland Country Club from 5:30-8:00. This is an opportunity to meet your colleagues from across the state and honor the work of Gail Katz of Kadima and Jewish Gay Network as the 2010 Outstanding Mental Health Advocate Award and Brenda Rosenberg for the 2010 Distinguished Achievement Award. Registration includes a buffet dinner, music, a silent auction, and valet parking.

Along with other programs of MPAF, MPIPP will benefit from the funds raised. Enjoy the evening, invite your friends, and help to raise money for a great cause.

For more information and to register, click here.

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TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF BULLYING

September was a difficult month for anyone who cares about young people who are LGBT: five young people who died by suicide were identified with bullying because they were (or were perceived to be) lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). At least two other suicides were identified among those who were openly LGBT because of their perceptions of the stigma around them or because of their own struggles with their sexual identity.

This is a tragic consequence of discrimination and bullying. Where do we go from here?

Understand the risk:

Accumulated data shows:

• Among 15-24 year olds suicide is the third leading cause of death; only accidents and homicide occur more frequently (National Adolescent Health Information 2006).
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses (Center for Disease Control, 2008).
• Although the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (2003) goes into detail about the rates of attempted suicide, suicide ideation, and suicide plans, it does not address LGBT students in particular. Nevertheless, it is helpful in understanding this vulnerable population.
• According to the more recent Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey (2007) lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.
• More than 1/3 of LGB youth report having made a suicide attempt (D'Augelli AR - Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology 2002).
• Nearly half of young transgender people have seriously thought about taking their lives and one quarter report having made a suicide attempt (Grossman AH, D'Augelli AR - Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior 2007).
• Often overlooked is that questioning youth who are less certain of their sexual orientation report even higher levels of substance abuse and depressed thoughts than their heterosexual or openly LGBT-identified peers (Poteat VP, Aragon SR, et al - Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009).
• Rejection by families is critical: LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide than LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection (Ryan C., Huebner D., et al - Peds 2009;123(1):346-352).

Understand the scope of bullying:

Bullying continues to be a serious mental health issue with many young people - especially those who are LGBTQ. An updated ten-year study (click here for full report) of more than 7,200 LGBT young people conducted by the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) shows:

• 84.6% experienced verbal harassment
• 40.1% experienced physical harassment
• 18.8% experienced physical assault
• 72.4% heard homophobic remarks frequently
• 61.1% felt unsafe at school because of sexual orientation
• 39.9% felt unsafe at school because of gender expression
• 29.1% missed at least one class in past month because of safety concerns
• 30.0% missed at least one day of school because of safety concerns
• Increased levels of victimization were related to increased levels of depression and anxiety and decreased levels of self-esteem.

According to GLSEN, being out in school had both positive and negative repercussions for LGBT students - "outness" was related to higher levels of victimization, but also higher levels of psychological well-being.

There are numerous resources available on the Internet on how to stop or reduce bullying behavior. The Health Resources and Service Administration in the federal government has a tip sheet. Click here to access this tip sheet.

Become a visible ally: LGBT students need to know there is a safe place to turn to discuss their issues. GLSEN has developed a safe space kit available by clicking here.

MPIPP will also be offering "Know Us Project" training at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in collaboration with the university's LGBT Resource Center and the Association of Straight Allies (ASA). We have not yet finalized a date but we expect it to be later this fall. Look for more details in the MPIPP News and on our website.