New research from the Family Acceptance Project reveals that bullied LGBT youth don't only face a higher risk of depression and suicidal thoughts...they also face higher rates of STD infection. 

The study, published in the Journal of School Health, finds:

LGBT young adults who reported high levels of LGBT school victimization during adolescence were 5.6 times more likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.6 times more likely to report a suicide attempt that required medical care, 2.6 times more likely to report clinical levels of depression, and more than twice as likely to have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease and to report risk for HIV infection, compared with peers who reported low levels of school victimization.

The new research also finds that LGBT males face higher instances of bullying than lesbian or bisexual females. "Gay and bisexual males and transgender young adults reported higher levels of LGBT school victimization than lesbian and bisexual young women," report researchers. 

Gay Men's Health Crisis Managing Director of Public Policy Sean Cahill provides some perspective for the new numbers. “Once again, the Family Acceptance Project is helping us understand the social parameters of risk for LGBT youth by expanding on their work with families to show that school experiences also contribute to sexual health risk and risk for HIV among LGBT young adults. As the HIV epidemic continues to escalate among young gay and bisexual men and transgender women, and especially black gay youth, this study provides important evidence of the public health need for structural interventions and targeted anti-discrimination policies in our nation’s schools to prevent HIV and other serious health problems.”

For the full report, head to the Family Acceptance Project's website.

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