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Footnotes
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health,” http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm.
2. Stephen T. Russell and Kara Joyner, “Adolescent Sexual Orientation and Suicide Risk: Evidence from a National Study,” American Journal of Public Health 91, no. 8 (2001): 1276-81; Arnold H. Grossman and Anthony R. D’Augelli, “Transgender Youth and Life-Threatening Behaviors,” Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior 37, no. 5 (2007): 527-37.
3. Brian Mustanski and Richard T. Liu, “A Longitudinal Study of Predictors of Suicide Attempts among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth,” Archives of Sexual Behavior 42, no. 3 (2013): 437-48.
4. Caitlin Ryan and Robert A. Rees, Family Education LDS Booklet (San Francisco: Family Acceptance Project, 2012), retrieved from http://familyproject.sfsu.edu/family-education-booklet-lds.
5. Mustanski and Liu, “A Longitudinal Study of Predictors,” 437-48.
6. Tracy Tang, “Gay-Straight Alliances in Schools Reduce Suicide Risk for All Students,” University of British Columbia, Jan. 20, 2014, retrieved from http://news.ubc.ca/2014/01/20/gay-straight-alliances-in-schools-reduce-suicide-risk-for-all-students/.
7. Jennifer Welsh, “Homosexual Teen Suicide Rates Raised in Bad Environments,” LiveScience, Apr. 18, 2011, retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/13755-homosexual-lgb-teen-suicide-rates-environments.html.
8. Utah Department of Human Services, “State Suicide Prevention Programs,” Oct. 2015, retrieved from http://le.utah.gov/interim/2015/pdf/00004455.pdf.
9. At the time of this writing, the years 1999 to 2014 were publicly available. We do not see the same doubling of suicide rates in Utah among those aged twenty to twenty-four (although it is higher than the national average in that age cohort), indicating that the rapid increase seems to be limited to high school–aged youth.
10. Mikle South, “Op-ed: Misuse of Utah Suicide Data Makes It Harder to Address,” Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 6, 2016, retrieved from http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/3495255-155/op-ed-misuse-of-utah-suicide-data.
11. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, “Suicide: Risk and Protective Factors,” Aug. 28, 2015, retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/riskprotectivefactors.html.
12. Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, Anna Bellatorre, Yeonjin Lee, Brian K. Finch, Peter Muennig, and Kevin Fiscella, “Structural Stigma and All-Cause Mortality in Sexual Minority Populations,” Social Science & Medicine 103 (2013): 33-41.
13. Shannon Firth, “Research: Anti-Gay Stigma Shortens Lives,” U.S. News and World Report, Feb. 19, 2014, retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/02/19/research-anti-gay-stigma-shortens-lives.
14. Jason Koebler, “Study: Openly Gay Men Less Likely to Be Depressed Than Heterosexuals,” U.S. News and World Report, Jan. 29, 2013, retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/01/29/study-openly-gay-men-less-likely-to-be-depressed-than-heterosexuals.
15. Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins, “Physiological Impacts of Homophobia,” EurekAlert!, Feb. 2, 2011, retrieved from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/cu-pio020211.php.
16. Kristina R. Olson, Lily Durwood, Madeleine DeMeules, and Katie A. McLaughlin, “Mental Health of Transgender Children Who Are Supported in Their Identities,” Pediatrics, Mar. 2016, retrieved from http://pediatrics.aap-publications.org/content/early/2016/02/24/peds.2015-3223.
17. “Homeless and Runaway Youth,” National Conference of State Legislatures, Apr. 14, 2016, retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx.
18. Peggy Fletcher Stack. “Program Aims to Stop Suicide, Homelessness in LGBT Mormon Youth,” Salt Lake Tribune, Mar. 15, 2014, retrieved from http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/lifestyle/57682784-80/lgbt-ryan-youth-family.html.csp.
19. “State Suicide Prevention Programs,” Utah Department of Human Services, Oct. 2015, retrieved from http://le.utah.gov/interim/2015/pdf/00004455.pdf.
20. See Google Trends in both United States and Utah, specifically from 2007 to present on LGBTQ topics: https://www.google.com/trends/.
21. Sterling C. Hilton, Gilbert W. Fellingham, and Joseph L. Lyon, “Suicide Rates and Religious Commitment in Young Adult Males in Utah,” American Journal of Epidemiology 155, no. 5 (2002): 413-19.
22. John P. Dehlin, Renee V. Galliher, William S. Bradshaw, Daniel C. Hyde, and Katherine Ann Crowell, “Sexual Orientation Change: Efforts Among Current or Former LDS Church Members,” Journal of Counseling Psychology 62, no. 2 (2014): 95-105.
23. Jeremy J. Gibbs and Jeremy Gladbach, “Religious Conflict, Sexual Identity, and Suicidal Behaviors among LGBT Young Adults,” Archives of Suicide Research 19, no. 4 (2015): 472-88.
24. Gibbs and Gladbach, “Religious Conflict,” 11.
25. Matt McDonald, “LDS Leader’s Comments about Suicides after Policy Change Angers Mama Dragons,” Fox 13, Salt Lake City, Feb. 16, 2016, retrieved from http://fox13now.com/2016/02/15/lds-leaders-comments-about-suicides-after-policy-change-angers-mama-dragons/; Jennifer Napier-Pearce, “Trib Talk: Suicide in the Wake of LDS Church’s Policy on Gay Couples,” Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 1, 2016, retrieved from http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/3477833-155/trib-talk-suicide-in-the-wake.
26. “LGBT Suicides at BYU: Silent Stories,” Understanding Same-Gender Attraction (USGA), Jan. 29, 2016, retrieved from https://byuusga.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/lgbt-suicides-at-byu-silent-stories-2/; “‘Just Be There’: A Message of Suicide Awareness and Prevention,” No More Strangers, Oct. 10, 2013, retrieved from http://www.nomorestrangers.org/just-be-there-a-message-of-suicide-awareness-and-prevention/; see also Annie Knox, “BYU ranked among the least LGBT-friendly campuses,” Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 10, 2015, retrieved from http://www.sltrib.com/home/2814697-155/ranking-byu-high-among-lgbt-unfriendly-campuses.
27. Of course, anecdotal evidence is not generalizable because of its non-representative sample bias, prejudice, or any number of other factors. However, when the anecdotal evidence becomes massive (as it has to those of us who work directly with LGBTQ Mormons around this issue), then it strongly suggests that something wider may be happening.
28. Mike Barker has asked a suicidologist, several LGBTQ advocates, two forensic specialists (none of these people questioned are from Utah), and at least one concerned Utah lawmaker if there are any states that perform what is called a “psychological autopsy” with regard to the deceased’s sexuality as part of the suicide investigation. The answer has been no. In an email, Barker received the following response from The Trevor Project when he inquired about state agencies tracking the sexual orientation of those who have died by suicide:
“This project is currently in the pilot phase. The people involved with conducting the National Violent Death Reporting System have developed a protocol for death investigators to determine the sexual orientation and gender identity of the deceased. They are just beginning training the death investigators on this protocol in the first pilot jurisdiction: Las Vegas”
29. Personal correspondence by one of the authors with a direct family member who wishes to remain anonymous.
30. Ann P. Haas, et al., “Suicide and Suicide Risk in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations: Review and Recommendations,” Journal of Homosexuality 58, no. 1 (2010): 10-51.
31. Fausto Fernos, “FOF #2279 - A Tale of Two Mormons,” Feast of Fun, podcast audio, Jan. 27, 2016, retrieved from http://feastoffun.com/podcast/2016/01/27/fof-2279-a-tale-of-two-mormons/comment-page-1/.
32. Marion G. Romney, “We Believe in Being Chaste,” Ensign (Sept. 1981): https://www.lds.org/ensign/1981/09/we-believe-in-being-chaste?lang=eng.
33. Boyd K. Packer, “Message to Young Men,” Oct. 1976, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1976/10/media/session_5_talk_1?lang=eng. It is interesting to note that this is the only talk in the conference whose transcript is not available; only the audio/visual is available.
34. Examples include the mormonsandgays.org website as well as Elder Oaks’s October 2012 general conference address entitled “Protect the Children,” in which he stated: “Young people struggling with any exceptional condition, including same-gender attraction, are particularly vulnerable and need loving understanding—not bullying or ostracism,” retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/protect-the-children?lang=eng.
35. Sarah Pulliam Bailey, “Mormon Church to Exclude Children of Same-Sex Couples from Getting Blessed and Baptized until They Are 18,” The Washington Post, Nov. 6, 2015, retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/11/05/mormon-church-to-exclude-children-of-same-sex-couples-from-getting-blessed-and-baptized-until-they-are-18/.
36. Peggy Fletcher Stack, “Mormon gay policy is the ‘will of the Lord’ through his prophet, senior apostle says,” Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 10, 2016, retrieved from http://www.sltrib.com/home/3391057-155/lds-gay-policy-came-from-god.
37. Personal correspondence between Lori Burkman and the authors, Feb. 2016.
38. Laurie Goodstein, “Utah Passes Antidiscrimination Bill Backed by Mormon Leaders,” The New York Times, Mar. 12, 2015, retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/us/politics/utah-passes-antidiscrimination-bill-backed-by-mormon-leaders.html.
39. Jennifer Dobner, “Senate Kills Hate-Crimes Bill; LGBT Advocates Blame Mormon Church,” Salt Lake Tribune, Mar.2, 2016, retrieved from http://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/3608491-155/senate-kills-hate-crimes-bill-lgbt-advocates.
40. “State Maps,” Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, retrieved from http://www.glsen.org/article/state-maps.
41. Marian Edmonds-Allen, “Suicides or Not, LDS Is Harming LGBT Youth,” Advocate, Feb. 3, 2016, retrieved from http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2016/2/03/suicides-or-not-lds-harming-lgbt-youth.
42. Utah Code, § 53A, 13-302, retrieved from http://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53A/Chapter13/53A-13-S302.html.
43. See Haas, et al., “Suicide and Suicide Risk.”
44. Mark Joseph Stern, “The Tragic Results of the Mormon Church’s New Policy Against Gay Members,” Slate, Feb. 8, 2016, retrieved from http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2016/02/08/mama_dragons_respond_to_gay_mormon_youth_suicide.html; Mitch Mayne, “New Mormon LGBT Policy: Putting Already Vulnerable Youth at Even Greater Suicide Risk?,” Huffington Post, Jan. 28, 2016, retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitch-mayne/new-mormon-policy-on-lgbt_1_b_9083714.html; Peggy Fletcher Stack, “Suicide Fears, If Not Actual Suicides, Rise in Wake of Mormon Same-Sex Policy,” Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 28, 2016, retrieved from http://www.sltrib.com/news/lds/3473487-155/suicide-fears-if-not-actual-suicides.
45. John Gustav-Wrathall, “Our Lives Are a Gift—To Us and the World,” Affirmation, Jan. 2016, retrieved from http://affirmation.org/our-lives-are-a-gift-to-us-and-to-the-world/.
46. See for example Stack, “Suicide Fears”; Tad Walch and Lois M. Collins, “LDS Church Leaders Mourn Reported Deaths in Mormon LGBT Community,” Deseret News, Jan. 28, 2016, retrieved from http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865646414/LDS-Church-leaders-mourn-reported-deaths-in-Mormon-LGBT-community.html?pg=all.
47. Stack, “Suicide Fears.”
48. See reportingonsuicide.org and lgbtmap.org.
Copyright 2016 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
2016