🌈💔💪 No One Knows How Many L.G.B.T.Q. Americans Die by Suicide 🌈💔💪
Nobody stay know how much L.G.B.T.Q. peeps stay killing demself. We no get da numbahs, but some folks in Utah stay trying fo find out. 🤔🏳️🌈
Dis one lady dey call Cory Russo stay one chief death investigator ova dea in Utah. Her work stay asking strangers all kinds of questions wen dey stay in da middle of da biggest pain dey evah felt. Wen get one suicide, one killin, ova unexpected death, dis lady gotta go talk to da family bout how da dead person was living. 👩⚕️💔
She ask how old dey was, dey race, if dey had one job, if dey wen stay inside one hospital fo any kine psychiatric problems, an how dey was feeling da morning dey wen go. But lately, she wen add some new questions to da list: Wat dey sexual orientation? Wat dey gender identity? 🗒️🌈🏳️⚧️
She wen tell one story bout one young guy who wen kill himself ova by some oldah folks. She wen find out dat he wen live wit dem cuz his own ohana wen throw him out da house wen dey find out he was gay. He wen go tru all dis emotional stuff an get hooked on drugs. Da story was so sad fo hear, said Ms. Russo, cuz she one lesbian an wen lose peeps she love to suicide. Da sexual orientation part stay important fo understand da whole picture, yeah? 💔🏳️🌈
Studies show dat plenny L.G.B.T.Q. peeps stay thinking bout suicide an even trying fo do um. All dat stay make da chance fo suicide even moa. 😔📚
But da bumbai kine ting, cuz nobody stay collecting info bout sexual orientation or gender identity wen peeps kill demself, nobody know how much L.G.B.T.Q. peeps stay dying dis way. We no get da numbahs, an cuz of dat, nobody can make da right kine programs fo help dem, an nobody can tell if da programs stay working or not. 😞🔄❓
Da whole situation stay real bad, yeah? Cuz now, dey stay arguing bout dis suicide ting in da politics. Some L.G.B.T.Q. peeps stay say dat if dey no let transgender keiki get da care dey need, den get moa chance dey go kill demself. But den, some Republikan peeps stay say dat suicide no happen too much, no even wit da L.G.B.T.Q. peeps. 🏳️🌈🗣️🏛️
Dis place Utah, dey stay one state wea get plenny suicide, an dey wen start fo collect da data bout L.G.B.T.Q. peeps wen dey wen pass da law back in 2017. Dey wen make dis law fo make sure dey know wat stay going on wit da suicides. 🏥📊
One guy dey call Michael Staley, he one sociologist, he stay in charge fo collecting da data fo da medical examiner’s office ova dea in Utah. He say dat da lawmake peeps was all mad cuz dey stay getting all dis suicide cases, an dey no get da right info fo figah back. Dey say dis situation stay real bad. 📈😡
Aftah da investigators like Ms. Russo go to da place wea one person wen die, Dr. Staley an his crew, get six people, dey go do da “psychological autopsies.” Dey go talk to da family, an get all kine info bout da dead person. Dey no jus ask bout sexual stuffs, but also da house dey stay live, how dey feeling in da head, if dey doing drugs, an even wat dey doing on social media. All dat info can help dem undastand all da kine reasons why somebody wen decide fo take dey own life, Dr. Staley said. He stay planning fo put out one report lata dis year, an he stay goin share wat he wen learn from interviewing da families of da people wea wen kill demself ova da last five years. 👥💭💡📝
Wen get keiki an teens wea wen kill demself, Dr. Staley’s crew no jus talk to da parents or guardians, but also talk to da friends. Sometime da friends know stuff dat da parents no know, like if dey stay all confused about dey sexuality or gender, or if dey stay doing drugs. 🧒👨👩👦🗣️
Dis kine talking, no stay easy, yeah? One guy wea work on one project fo find out how much L.G.B.T.Q. peeps stay dying, he stay do ride-alongs wit da investigators fo see how dey do dey job. He show dem how fo ask da sexual orientation an gender questions an help dem deal wit da angry family an friends. 🤝🏳️🌈
He say, “Dey talking to da family wea stay all shocked, mad, an sometimes no can move cuz dey stay so sad from da loss.” 😢😢
Dis guy, Dr. Blosnich, he wen teach investigators ova dea in Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New York, an California. Dey wen start dis ting in California in 2021, cuz dey stay one state law dat tell dem fo collect info bout sexual orientation an gender identity. Dr. Blosnich wen do one study fo see how much investigators was asking da questions, an he wen find out dat only 41 percent wen ask bout sexual orientation, an only 25 percent wen ask bout gender identity, befo dey wen go tru da training. 🎓🗂️🔍
Da medical examiners, dey wen send reports bout da killings an suicides to da Centers fo Disease Control an Prevention. Dey get one big database wea dey wen put all da info bout da violent deaths, like da demographics, medical info, an all da kine social stuffs, even like if get drugs inside dey body o if dey wen have hard times wit money o family. But den, dis one study wen find out dat out of da 10,000 suicides dey wen look at, only 20 percent wen get any info bout sexual orientation or gender identity. 📊📋
One oddah agency inside da health department, dey trying fo set new rules so any hospital wea get federal money, dey gotta ask da patients wat dey sexual orientation an gender identity is. 🏥💰
Dr. John Auerbach, he wen work fo da CDC from 2021 to 2022, an he wen help make da questions bout sexuality an gender. He say da death investigators no can ask da dead person, so dey stay stuck. If da doctors was talking to dey patients about sexuality an gender identity, den dey can help answer all kine questions about public health, like if da L.G.B.T.Q. community get moa chance fo get cancer o diabetes. But, he say, gotta remembah, some people no like talk bout dat stuff wit dey doctor. An some peeps no go doctors, an dey get da moa chance fo kill demself. 👨⚕️🗣️🏥
Da L.G.B.T.Q. advocates say dat da situation wen get real serious in da past couple years, cuz get all dese states all ova da place wen start fo make rules dat make life hard fo da gay an transgender peeps. Casey Pick, one lady dat work fo da Trevor Project, she stay try fo help L.G.B.T.Q. young peeps not kill demself, an she wen tell dem lawmakers fo collect all dat info. 💔🏳️🌈🗣️
She say, “We stay lacking da info, so peeps stay throw away our concerns.” She wen hear too many times dat da lawmakers say L.G.B.T.Q. peeps no need help cuz we no get da numbahs to prove um. 📢❌
One oddah ting, Dr. Staley wen say dat we no can foget da stuff we no know. Even if da studies stay show dat plenny L.G.B.T.Q. peeps stay thinking bout suicide o try fo do um, dat no mean we get plenny peeps actually killing demself. He say we gotta remembah dat even if da wahine stay trying fo kill demself moa, da kane peeps stay actually doing um moa, cuz dey get moa guns. 🔫👥
An Dr. Staley, he one gay guy, he stay warn fo no make da political stories dat make suicide seem like one normal ting fo L.G.B.T.Q. peeps. 🌈⚠️
He say, “I stay say dat if anything, dis kind life experience, dis kind struggle we stay go tru, dis stay make us strong. We no gotta give up. We get power fo write our own story.” 💪🌈📝
So no can forget, yeah? Da numbahs stay missing, an dat make um hard fo help da ones who stay suffer da most. But we no can give up. We gotta keep pushing fo get da answers an help da peeps who stay need us. 🌈💔💪
NOW IN ENGLISH
🌈💔💪 No One Knows How Many L.G.B.T.Q. Americans Die by Suicide 🌈💔💪
Nobody knows how many L.G.B.T.Q. individuals take their own lives. We don’t have the numbers, but there are efforts in Utah to find out. 🤔🏳️🌈
Cory Russo, a chief death investigator in Utah, asks strangers various questions when they are in the midst of their greatest pain. She speaks to families about how the deceased person lived when there is a suicide, homicide, or unexpected death. 👩⚕️💔
She asks about their age, race, employment, any previous hospitalizations for psychiatric issues, and how they were feeling on the day they died. Recently, she has added new questions to her list: What was their sexual orientation? What was their gender identity? 🗒️🌈🏳️⚧️
Russo shared a story about a young man who took his own life due to rejection by older individuals. She discovered that he had been living with them after his own family kicked him out for being gay. He went through emotional turmoil and developed a drug addiction. Russo, being a lesbian herself, found the story incredibly sad to hear since she has lost loved ones to suicide. Understanding sexual orientation is crucial to comprehending the whole picture, right? 💔🏳️🌈
Studies show that many L.G.B.T.Q. individuals contemplate suicide and even attempt it. All of this increases the risk of suicide. 😔📚
However, the main issue is that no one collects information on sexual orientation or gender identity when someone dies by suicide. Therefore, we don’t know how many L.G.B.T.Q. individuals are dying this way. The lack of data makes it challenging to develop appropriate programs to assist them, and it becomes impossible to determine if the existing programs are effective. 😞🔄❓
The situation as a whole is troubling because now the issue of suicide is being debated in politics. Some L.G.B.T.Q. individuals argue that if transgender children don’t receive the care they need, their risk of suicide increases. However, some Republican individuals claim that suicide is not a significant problem, even among the L.G.B.T.Q. community. 🏳️🌈🗣️🏛️
Utah, a state with a high suicide rate, began collecting data on L.G.B.T.Q. individuals when a law was passed in 2017. The law was implemented to ensure that they have an understanding of the suicide situation. 🏥📊
Michael Staley, a sociologist responsible for gathering data for the medical examiner’s office in Utah, mentioned that lawmakers were frustrated because they were dealing with numerous suicide cases but lacked the necessary information to take action. They recognized the severity of the situation. 📈😡
After investigators like Ms. Russo visit the location where a person died, Dr. Staley and his team, consisting of six people, conduct “psychological autopsies.” They talk to the family and gather various information about the deceased person. They don’t just inquire about their sexuality; they also ask about their living situation, mental state, drug use, and even their activities on social media. Dr. Staley believes that this information helps them understand the reasons behind someone’s decision to take their own life. He plans to release a report later this year, sharing what he has learned from interviewing families of individuals who died by suicide over the past five years. 👥💭💡📝
When children and teenagers die by suicide, Dr. Staley’s team doesn’t only speak to parents or guardians; they also talk to friends. Sometimes, friends know things that parents aren’t aware of, such as confusion about sexuality or gender, or involvement in drug use. 🧒👨👩👦🗣️
Having these conversations isn’t easy, though. One person working on a project to understand the number of suicides among L.G.B.T.Q. individuals accompanies investigators on their assignments to see how they handle their job. He teaches them how to ask questions about sexual orientation and gender identity and helps them navigate interactions with upset family members and friends. 🤝🏳️🌈
He states, “They are talking to families who are shocked, angry, and sometimes unable to move due to the overwhelming sadness of their loss.” 😢😢
Dr. Blosnich, the individual mentioned above, has trained investigators in Utah, Nevada, Colorado, New York, and California. California began this practice in 2021, as there is a state law requiring the collection of information on sexual orientation and gender identity. Dr. Blosnich conducted a study to assess how often investigators asked these questions and discovered that only 41 percent inquired about sexual orientation, and only 25 percent asked about gender identity before receiving the training. 🎓🗂️🔍
The medical examiners send reports on suicides and homicides to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They have a comprehensive database containing information on violent deaths, including demographics, medical details, and various social factors like drug use, financial difficulties, or family problems. However, a study found that out of the 10,000 suicides examined, only 20 percent included any information on sexual orientation or gender identity. 📊📋
Another agency within the health department is working on implementing new regulations requiring hospitals that receive federal funding to ask patients about their sexual orientation and gender identity. 🏥💰
Dr. John Auerbach, who worked for the CDC from 2021 to 2022 and helped develop the questions regarding sexuality and gender, mentions that death investigators are in a difficult position because they cannot ask the deceased person. If doctors could have conversations about sexuality and gender identity with their patients, they could provide valuable insights into public health concerns, such as whether the L.G.B.T.Q. community is at a higher risk for conditions like cancer or diabetes. However, he acknowledges that some people are uncomfortable discussing these topics with their doctors, and others avoid seeking medical help altogether, increasing their risk of suicide. 👨⚕️🗣️🏥
L.G.B.T.Q. advocates emphasize that the situation has become more serious in recent years due to various states implementing rules that create difficulties for gay and transgender individuals. Casey Pick, an advocate working for the Trevor Project, aims to prevent L.G.B.T.Q. youth from taking their own lives, and she urges lawmakers to collect relevant information. 💔🏳️🌈🗣️
She says, “We lack the data, so people dismiss our concerns.” She has heard lawmakers say too many times that L.G.B.T.Q. individuals don’t need help because there are no numbers to prove it. 📢❌
Furthermore, Dr. Staley warns against forgetting what we don’t know. Even though studies show that many L.G.B.T.Q. individuals contemplate suicide or attempt it, it doesn’t mean that a significant number of them die by suicide. He reminds us that even if women make more suicide attempts, men are more likely to complete suicide due to higher firearm usage. 🔫👥
Dr. Staley, who identifies as gay, cautions against promoting political narratives that normalize suicide among L.G.B.T.Q. individuals. 🌈⚠️
He states, “I believe that, if anything, these life experiences and struggles make us strong. We mustn’t give up. We have the power to write our own story.” 💪🌈📝
Therefore, let’s not forget: the numbers are missing, making it challenging to help those who are suffering the most. However, we mustn’t give up. We must continue to push for answers and assist those who need us. 🌈💔💪
