Gay suicides
Public Forum Letter,
Posted February 21, 2009
GayPASG e-mail
February 23, 2009
Regarding the failure of the
Legislature to pass the Common Ground Initiatives ("Gay-rights bills die,"
Tribune , Feb. 18): I left Carol Lynn Pearson's play about a gay Mormon
boy's suicide convinced that things would change, that Utah could not continue
to have the highest rate of youth suicide. I am not so optimistic now.
The play, "Facing East," was a portrayal of denial and misunderstanding by
parents who couldn't see past their religious dogma and trust the truth from
their own gay son and love him unconditionally.
Sadly, we continue to witness many suicides, one reason being a refusal to
acknowledge that gay people exist, that they are a valuable and important part
of our community and deserve the same respect and protections as anyone else.
There are far too many messages that gay people are bad.
Messages of intolerance continue in homes, in churches and on Capitol Hill, with
elected officials ignoring constituents who don't matter to them. It is
shameful to witness inequality in churches, but for a state to so blatantly
ignore these fellow gay citizens and to demonstrate little concern for them
takes shame to a new level.
Is equality a choice, too?
Gary R. Jones, Salt Lake City
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