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Fact Sheet | Sexuality & Gender

The Dangers of Pride

Society is Celebrating Something Uniquely Dangerous

There was once a minister's business card that said, "The truth shall set you free . . . but first it will make you mad." This sheet may make some people mad, but telling the truth is necessary.

Contrary to popular opinion, in a caring spirit, truth telling can be the strongest kind of love and compassion. As Josh McDowell notes in The Beauty of Intolerance, "Real love isn't an unlimited endorsement of just any behavior a person chooses to engage in. Many of those behaviors are inherently and inevitably harmful, and to endorse, approve, and encourage them is not loving; it is cold and uncaring. If we care about another person, we won't approve behavior that is damaging and destructive to that person's life."

As society moves further down the road of embracing of the LGBTQIA+ lifestyle and the celebration of things like "Pride Month" every June, it is worth knowing that while all people are equal, all behaviors are not.

Recent headlines in the summer of 2021 such as "Greenwood to host first ever Pride Festival" and "Carmel Passes First Pride Month Resolution" should concern responsible Hoosiers who truly care about others.

Those who pursue homosexuality or gender nonconformity take risks that few today dare mention. Many of those entering the lifestyle are young people who have never been told of such risks. Scores of published studies and entire books have been written on the dangers of this lifestyle, but they are often suppressed. Here are just a few things to consider.

The Distress of Pride

In 2016, the American Medical Association's Journal, Internal Medicine, published the results of the 2014 National Health Interview Survey. It was the first one to include sexual orientation. The Journal noted, “In one of the largest most representative health surveys conducted to date, lesbian, gay and bisexual adults reported substantially higher rates of severe psychological distress, heavy drinking, smoking and impaired physical health than heterosexuals.” Specifically, while 16.9% of heterosexual males had moderate or severe psychological distress, 26% of gay men and 40% of bisexuals reported moderate to severe psychological distress. Mental distress rates for lesbian women were significantly higher than heterosexual women and twice as high (46.4%) for bi-sexual women.¹

The American Psychiatric Association's 2014 Fact Sheet "Mental Health Disparities: LGBT" notes that lesbian, gay or bisexual individuals are twice as likely as the general population to have a mental health disorder.

The Substances of Pride

Substance abuse is another well documented problem in the LGBT community. The Centers for Disease Control has noted that “LGBT people smoke cigarettes at rates 70% higher than the general population.” ²

The American Psychological Association has reported that lesbian and bisexual women are three times more likely to suffer from substance abuse than the general population. Homosexual males are twice as likely to have a substance abuse problem as the general public. ³

The Life of Pride

Suicide rates are significantly higher among LGBT individuals in America and around the world.

In Denmark, a study following the first twelve years of legalized same-sex marriage revealed that the rate of suicide for homosexual domestic partners was eight times higher than for heterosexual married men, and twice as high as men who had never married.⁴

Elevated suicide rates among homosexuals have also been found in Sweden .

A 2014 study by the Australian Institute for Suicide Research found that a leading cause of suicide "among lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and intersex people is stress from their romantic partners. "We tend to assume that the psychological distress LGBTI people are often going through is due to family rejection. But it seems that's not so much the case. The conflict is largely related to relationship problems with partners." ⁵

The Canadian Rainbow Health Association has stated that those in the LGBT community have a suicide rate at a low to twice as often, and a high of 14 times as often as the general Canadian population. ⁶

A 2006 study of the Netherlands (one of the most gay-friendly nations in the world) found that 14.6% of homosexual men showed a risk for deliberate self-harm compared to just 2% of heterosexual men in that country. ⁷

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has noted that 41% of transgender individuals report that they have attempted suicide. ⁸

The Abuse of Pride

Another elevated danger within the LGBT community is domestic violence. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence states, "LGBT domestic violence is vastly underreported, unacknowledged, and often reported as something other than domestic violence." ⁹

A 2014 review of multiple studies concluded that domestic violence affects between 25% to 75% of LGBT individuals.¹⁰

The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Domestic Violence Coalition states, "25-33% of GLBT people experience partner abuse." ¹¹

The Sexual Health of Pride

Sexually transmitted diseases are another greatly increased risk in the LGBT lifestyle.

In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control found that the rate of new HIV infections among homosexual males was 44 times higher than that of heterosexual males. ¹²

In 2013, homosexual males accounted for 77% of all syphilis cases in the US. ¹³

In 2014, the CDC noted that 14%-24% of homosexual males tested at STD clinics tested positive for gonorrhea. ¹⁴

The British AIDS charity, AVERT, notes, "Although lesbians are at lower risk of getting HIV from sex with other women, many other STD's are just as common for lesbians as for heterosexual women. ¹⁵

The CDC has noted that lesbian women have twice the risk of contracting bacterial vaginosis as heterosexual women. A 2000 Australian study noted, "bacterial vaginosis was significantly more common among women who have sex with women." ¹⁶

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