Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals, commonly abbreviated as LGBT, have all been victims of harassment and beatings for several years. Many LGBTs believe they need to stay hidden or, “in the closet,” as most people would call it. By staying “in the closet,” LGBTs attempt to avoid the risk of getting harassed or beaten. When LGBTs do decide to come out of the closet, they believe that it is the right time and that they have that support system. However, many LGBTs who do decide to come out do not have that support system in place, which leads them to turn to drugs or even worse, suicide. Dr. Michael P. Marshal of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center conducted a study on the drug usage by LGBT’s. The results of his study showed that LGBT teens are 190% more likely to use drugs and alcohol than heterosexual teens, and the usage rate is higher among certain subgroups. Drug and alcohol abuse among bisexual youth is 340% higher than the rate among straight teens and with lesbians the number skyrockets to 400% [1]. According to Marshal, “Homophobia, discrimination, and victimization are largely what are responsible for these substance use disparities in young gay people. History shows that when marginalized groups are oppressed and do not have equal opportunities and equal rights, they suffer. Our results show that gay youth are clearly no exception" [1].LAMBDA, which is an advocacy association dedicated to improving the quality of life of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, says the effects of pressure and discrimination go beyond alcohol and drug use, to mainly suicide. LAMBDA reported that gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. Thirty percent of these suicides that are successful are by gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths. Forty percent of the street kids today are gay, lesbian, and bisexual and many of them turn to prostitution or other abusive situations after leaving their homes either by running away or being tossed out. Also 1 in 4 LGBT youth have severe drug or alcohol problems [1]. Because drug addiction is a group problem, it is up to the gay community as a whole to change the behavior of its citizens. Until this community stands up and says "crystal meth is bad" in a committed, organized way, the levels of addiction – and subsequent health problems – will continue on at a high level [2].
Steps need to be taken to help these LGBT teens and to prevent them from falling into bad habits. Straight people need to be more welcoming to other people and they way they choose to live their lives. People need to be more aware of how they treat others and what the end result could be if one treats others in a negative manner. Many people do not think twice about how their actions can affect others. Some of these victims of abuse are being harassed and are going home and taking drugs or even trying to commit suicide. If the proper steps are taken and society is made aware of the connection between LGBT’s and drugs, then maybe the rate will decrease to eventually not having anybody turn to drugs to help them deal with the pain.
