Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
A surge in suicides among gay Mormon youth?

A surge in suicides among gay Mormon youth?

Last updated on: July 5, 2016 at 1:18 pm by Dan Peterson

A surge in suicides among gay Mormon youth? 2016-07-05T13:18:25-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Utah sunset
(Wikimedia Commons photo by Scott Catron)

Over the weekend, both the liberal Mormon blogger Jana Riess and a guest opinion column in the Salt Lake Tribune lamented the rise in suicides among gay Mormon teenagers caused by the Church’s stance on homosexual behavior.

There may well have been other such articles. These are merely two that I happen to have seen. The claim of such a rise has been quite common in news coverage, national and international, for a number of months.

Now, I’m aware of the futility of what I’m about to say, but I’ll say it anyway:

I’m opposed to suicide.

I disapprove of the persecution of people who experience same-sex attraction.

I think it important to treat such people charitably, and to seek to help them if they’re in crisis or in serious need.

I believe that the suicide of even one gay person — teen or otherwise — is too much.

I favor kindness.

I realize that clarifying such things will do me no good — it’s ridiculous, really, that I even have to say them, and it’s even more ridiculous that some will insist that, having said them, I’m lying — but I wanted to get them on the record before I plunge into the rest of what I intend to say.

Well, that’s done. So here goes:

I genuinely want to know whether there has actually been a spike in suicides by gay LDS teenagers. I also want to know whether there is solid evidence that such suicides as have occurred are attributable, solely or even significantly, to Latter-day Saint teaching — and specifically to the Church’s recent policy announcement regarding minor children of same-sex couples.

Why am I curious?

I’m curious because pseudo-statistics have often been exploited in the past to push social and ideological agendas — the supposed surge in domestic abuse on Super Bowl Sunday is a highly instructive case in point — and because this issue looks like the very sort of thing where such pseudo-statistics and such exploitation would be likely to occur. False assertions are taken as fact and become common assumptions, upon which further false assertions are then based. Moral indignation thereupon ensues, based upon the bogus facts, and righteous demands begin to be issued.

But this is a complicated issue, and I’m wary of efforts to turn it into a sharp-edged ideological sword.

Rocky Mountain suicide rates are above the national average. Utah isn’t unique in that regard. Youth suicide rates are higher just about everywhere than the rate of suicide among mature adults, and suicide rates among gay youth are higher than those for young people who are straight. This is true inside Utah and outside Utah. It’s true whether or not Mormonism is involved. The causes for suicide are complex, and imperfectly understood. (For background on these matters, see here.)

I don’t pretend to be anything remotely like an expert on psychology or social work or sociology or counseling, and I don’t claim to know whether or not suicides have recently surged among young Mormon homosexuals or whether or not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a particular problem in this regard. But I do, in my judgment, have reasons to doubt it. These pieces suggest some of those reasons:

“Inferences can’t be made”

“Young, gay Mormons and suicide: The Salt Lake Tribune tries to do the real numbers”

“Re-examining gay Mormon youth and suicide: What does the data say?”

[Thanks to Angela Ballentine for reminding me of this additional item: “About that claim of suicides by LDS teens with same-sex attraction.”]

It’s very important that we get the data right on such issues. And it’s essential that we resist the urge to weaponize tragic stories for use against our chosen enemies.

Any out there who would like to call my attention to data or analysis that I may have overlooked are welcome to do so. I hope, though, that they’ll do it without venom and without calling me names. (Is that an even remotely realistic hope? We’ll see.)

Posted from Park City, Utah

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 5, 2016

A thought for the day following Independence Day

Next Post

July 5, 2016 "Church attendance linked with reduced suicide risk, especially for Catholics, study says"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who stopped David from taking revenge on Nabal?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abigail Michal Jonathan Ahinoam