Warning to homosexual youth: It gets worse

In recent months, gay activists have seized on a string of suicides among sexually confused youth as yet another wedge to force their agenda into public schools.

The campaign "It Gets Better," which began in September, is compiling a video archive to share stories of homosexuals overcoming bullying and finding happiness. Their website states: "Closed-minded school administrators and parents may not let LGBT adults talk directly to their children about their futures, but we don't have to get permission to tell kids that life gets better."

Parents and school officials who want to convey timeless values such as commitment, sexual responsibility, and physical and psychological well-being are wise to form a shield between kids and the LGBT lobby.

That lobby is telling kids that if only the American public would embrace homosexuality as normal, natural and healthy, children would feel free to "come out of the closet" and be comfortable with their same-sex attractions without fear of condemnation from their families, friends and, dare we say, religion.

Then, they reason, sexually confused youth would never contemplate suicide, experience higher-than-average psychological disorders, abuse illegal substances at alarming rates and take part in dangerous sexual practices, exposing themselves to violence and sexually transmitted diseases.

In reality, LGBT activists have long pushed the so-called "minority stress" theory as the reason for increased suicide and pathology among the U.S. homosexual community. This concept was promoted in last week's episode of "Glee," the popular Fox teen sitcom that portrays a stereotypical gay-identified choir boy, Kurt, who faces persecution from his school's intolerance.

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Desperate for love, Kurt clings to just about any boy in the school who doesn't dirty his Gucci V-neck sweater by throwing him into the dumpster. Any boy, that is, except the biggest football player, who routinely slams him against the lockers while shouting humiliating expletives in his face. But when Kurt's knight in shining armor (sporting Versace sunglasses) from a neighboring fine-arts school rides in – who also happens to be gayâ”€ and challenges Kurt to stand up to his oppressor, the tables are turned.

As Kurt summons up the courage to shout "What is wrong with you?" in his bully's face, the football player kisses Kurt, revealing just exactly "what is wrong with him" in the privacy of the locker room.

This highly improbable scene is what activists would like young people to believe â”€ that anyone who disagrees with homosexuality is really suffering from "internalized homophobia," and all those who discourage young people from choosing a gay life are insensitive bigots who are to blame for the higher rates of substance abuse, mental disorders, domestic violence and suicide among homosexuals.

But even in gay-tolerant cultures, the occurrence of suicidal behavior is much higher among homosexuals than heterosexuals. For example, a 2006 study in the Netherlands found that gay men were five times and homosexual women were 10 times more likely to contemplate suicide than heterosexuals. Further, in a cross-cultural comparison of mental health, another study found that the lower level of social hostility toward homosexuals in the Netherlands and Denmark compared with the U.S. was not associated with a lower level of psychiatric problems among homosexuals in these European countries.

It's all too typical for homosexual activists to justify their behavior by claiming "we're born that way" and then blame the tragic consequences of their actions on an intolerant society. But pushing this lie to young people is the ultimate death sentence for those who do not want to live a homosexual life. It offers no hope to youth who are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions, and it's unconscionable to lure young people into behavior that has so many serious risks, and then deny them the opportunity for change.

The facts reveal that even in the most gay-friendly cultures, it's not society that is responsible for the consequences of homosexuality; it's the behavior. It really makes one ask the question, just what about the homosexual life gets better?

Christopher Doyle is a former homosexual and member of the board of directors of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX).