World Suicide Prevention Day is Sept. 10, and is aimed at raising awareness to the prevalence of suicide as well as ways to help prevent it.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals ages 10 to 24, with LGB youth being five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth, according to The Trevor Project. The Williams Institute reports that nearly half of transgender and gender non-conforming youth ages 18-24 have attempted suicide.
Those staggering numbers are driving people to alter Pride flags by removing the red and blue stripes, which represent Life and Harmony. The campaign was started by GAY TIMES magazine alongside Switchboard, a service that provides online counseling to LGBTQ individuals.
“As we know, issues surround mental health affect LGBTQ people disproportionately, and World Suicide Prevention Day is an opportunity for us to reflect on the vast work that still needs to be done within the community,” GAY TIMES editor William Connolly said.
The magazine released a video of Olly Alexander, front man for the British band Years and Years, holding “the flag we shouldn’t be proud of.”
Many have taken to social media to share their stories surrounding suicide, as well as providing resources for those who are feeling that suicide is the answer. #WorldSuicidePreventionDay began trending on Twitter this morning.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention shared the following resources on its social media accounts. They also have information and resources available at their website at AFSP.org/LGBTQ.
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