10572 S. Emerald Avenue, Yuma, Arizona 85365-7161 ~ Telephone: 928-246-4856

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Thinking of Suicide?

Stop for one moment!

Relax. Breathe. Sit Back.

Now, is there someone you trust? Talk to them first. Air your feelings.

Rant! Scream! Stomp around! Cry!

Let it all out with them.

If you are still feeling bad, call the Trevor Hotline at

866-4-U-TREVOR (866) 488-7386 or visit Trevor at www.thetrevorproject.org

Or in Yuma, you can always chat with Michael with

The Amancio Project, 928-246-4856.

He's been there. He'll be glad to talk to you, your parents, teachers, counselors or just have a cup of coffee quietly.

While it was not related to being gay because I'd addressed that issue at 16. Suicide is suicide and dead is dead regardless of the reason.

This was when I was 27 and recovering from brain surgery which left me learning to walk and talk again to say nothing of the tremendous lost of memory. About two months into my recovery I became very depressed because I just knew I'd never be the same again. I took every pill I had and laid down. Then I got scared. I Did Not Want To Die. So I called my dad. The ambulance came; my stomach was pumped and I felt just rotten and rather embarrassed. My dad gave me quite a what for, in a nice way. As we talked my feelings through he said something that has stuck with me all the years. "You know Mike, there are allot of decisions we have to make in life and all of them, except one, are correctable even when we goof.." I pondered that a moment then asked him, "What's the only decision that is not correctable?" He replied, "Suicide! Once you do that, there is no way to correct it. And besides, your mom will be be mad at you. Do you really want that?."

Now, consider this, if I'd done it what would have I'd missed out on? Well, for sure I'd miss time with my dad. I would have not met Tom, who was my boyfriend for 17 years until he was killed in a auto accident. And, golly gee, I wouldn't be here to build The Amancio Project, meet and comfort the Corrales family and most likely Amancio's murderer would still be walking the streets of Yuma instead of being in prison where he belongs. Hum, seems staying alive was a good decision!   ~ Michael

ARE YOU BEING BULLIED BECAUSE OF YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATION, REAL OR PERCEIVED?  Click Here

"I always knew that I was gay. I also remember seeing heterosexual couples and knowing that I wasn't like them. I would get very depressed about not being like other kids. Many times I would take a kitchen knife and press it against my chest, wondering if I should push it all the way in," said Alex, a 14-year-old gay youth.

And innumerable lesbian, gay, bisexual, trangender and questioning (LGBTQ) youths have similar feelings.

Many do not feel safe to "come out" with their orientation because countless LGBTQ youths have been rejected by their families or friends, verbally abused, physically abused, or bullied as a result.

This intolerance against the LGBTQ community is rooted in ignorance.

Ignorant people cannot accept others that are not like them. And they do not understand that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trangender people do not "choose" their orientation -- they are born lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, just like some people are born with white skin and others are born with black skin.

Adolescence is a very difficult stage for anyone to go through. But lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders have the added difficulty of coping with this ignorance -- and the intolerance, discrimination, hate and rejection that often accompanies it.

It is difficult difficult to fully research LGBTQ youth suicide because many young lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders have not "come out." But studies indicate that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. And those who are rejected by their family are up to nine times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.

And the discrimination, ignorance, and intolerance that members of the LGBTQ community experience when they are young continue into adulthood.

If you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, and need help, please reach out. There are many resources available.

And please remember that the people who are ignorant and insensitive are the ones with the problems -- not you! Stay away from them, and surround yourself with caring and supportive people. But take steps to protect yourself, your rights, your feelings, and your physical and mental health.

Often times, a suicidal person may indicate in some way that they plan to attempt suicide. Here are some warning signs you should know about.

Warning Signs:

• Increased Isolation – From family and friends
• Alcohol or Drug Use Increases
• Expression of negative attitude toward self
• Expression of hopelessness or helplessness
• Change in Regular Behavior
• Loss of interest in usual activities
• Giving away valued possessions
• Expression of a lack of future orientation (i.e. "It won't matter soon anyway")
• Expressing Suicidal Feelings
• Signs of Depression
• Describes a Specific Plan for Suicide
• History of Suicide in the Family
• A person who has been extremely depressed in the past may be at an increased risk for suicide if the depression begins to cease, as they may now have the psychological energy to follow through on a suicidal ideation.

If you or someone you care about displays any of these warning signs, please do not hesitate to call The Trevor Lifeline at: 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386) to speak with a trained volunteer counselor. Or call Michael with The Amancio Project at 928-246-4856. He's been there and feels it from a visceral level.

Some Facts About Suicide: 

(NOTE: Refrain from using the phrase "commit(ed) suicide." Instead, use "died by suicide" or "completed suicide" when describing a fatal suicide attempt).

•  In the United States, more than 34,000 people die by suicide each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 2007).

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds, accounting for over 12% of deaths in this age group; only accidents and homicide occur more frequently (National Adolescent Health Information 2006).

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death on college campuses (CDC 2008).

• For every completed suicide by a young person, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey 2003).

• Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers (Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey 2007).

•  More than 1/3 of LGBTQ youth report having made a suicide attempt (D’Augelli AR - Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology 2002)

• Nearly half of young transgender people have seriously thought about taking their lives and one quarter report having made a suicide attempt (Grossman AH, D’Augelli AR - Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior 2007)

• Questioning youth who are less certain of their sexual orientation report even higher levels of substance abuse and depressed thoughts than their heterosexual or openly LGBT-identified peers (Poteat VP, Aragon SR, et al – Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2009)

• LGBTQ youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than 8 times as likely to have attempted suicide than LGBTQ peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection (Ryan C, Huebner D, et al - Peds 2009;123(1):346-352)

 Additional Facts about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth 

• Nine out of 10 LGBTQ students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school; three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation; and about one-third (32.7%) skipped a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe (GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009).
• LGBTQ students are three times as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel safe at school (22% vs. 7%) and 90% of LGBTQ students (vs. 62% of non-LGBT teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year. (GLSEN From Teasing to Torment 2006)
• Sexual minority youth, or teens that identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, are bullied two to three times more than heterosexuals. (Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 2010)
• Almost all transgender students had been verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened in the past year at school because of their sexual orientation (89%) and gender expression (89%) (GLSEN: Harsh Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nation’s Schools 2009).
• LGBTQ youth in rural communities and those with lower adult educational attainment face particularly hostile school climates (JG, Greytak EA, Diaz EM – Journal of Youth & Adolescence 2009)
• Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents are 190 percent more likely to use drugs and alcohol than are heterosexual teens (Marshal MP, Friedman MS, et al – Addiction 2008).
• It is estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of all homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (2006 National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: An Epidemic of Homelessness). 62% of homeless LGBTQ youth will attempt suicide at least once—more than two times as many as their heterosexual peers (Van Leeuwen JMm et al – Child Welfare 2005)

Always take suicide warning signs seriously.