SURVEY: MOST GAY YOUTH UNHAPPY, FACE REJECTION

The largest-ever survey of LGBT teens in the U.S. has found that there are tremendous disparities between LGBT and straight young people.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) study, titled Growing Up LGBT in America, polled more than 10,000 youth aged between 13 and 17.

When asked to describe their most important problem, straight teens articulated the usual challenges of grades and college and finances.

On the other hand, LGBT teens’ worries were directly related to their identity as LGBT including non-accepting families and bullying.

Among the report’s key findings:

• Over one-half of LGBT youth (54 percent) say they have been verbally harassed and called names involving anti-gay slurs;

• LGBT youth are about twice as likely as their peers to have been physically assaulted;

• Nearly half of LGBT youth (47 percent) say they do not “fit in” in their community while only 16 percent of non-LGBT youth feel that way;

• 67 percent of straight youth describe themselves as happy but this number drops to 37 percent among LGBT young people;

• 83 percent of LGBT youth believe they will be happy eventually, but only 49 percent believe they can be happy if they stay in the same city or town;

• 92 percent say they hear negative messages about being LGBT – 60 percent say those messages come from elected leaders.

“No one would say that growing up LGBT is easy, but this survey is a stark wake-up call to the daily toll that discrimination takes on vulnerable young people,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.

“We have a responsibility to change that, because we know all too well that there are real life consequences to inaction,” he added,

On a more positive note, the report found that:

• A huge majority (90%) are out to close friends;

• More than half (56%) of LGBT youth say they are out to their immediate family;

• 75% said most of their peers don’t have a problem with their sexuality;

• 77% believe that things will get better.