I saw this first on Matt Algren’s blog, and wanted to post it here with a slightly different slant. The video clip is David Yost, who played the Blue Power Ranger on the TV series. This is a multi-part interview, and all parts are on Youtube, but I wanted to post this one because in it, he talks about why he left the show, and his life afterward. Watch the whole clip, there is good stuff at the start and at the end especially. Statistics show that gay youth are far more susceptible to suicide than their straight counterparts. Anti-gay folks suggest that this is because it is the homosexuality itself, and if they just became normal, and acted normal everything would be fine. But David’s story, and unfortunately so many others is quite different. It isn’t being gay that is the problem, but rather it is the abuse, humiliation and isolation that come from living in a homophobic environment. David tried the “pray the gay away” and it doesn’t work. It drove him to a nervous breakdown, and almost suicide. Trying to not be gay is what leads people to suicide.

Those that present themselves as successful as ex-gays, fall into 2 groups, from my perspective. Those who claim to be cured, but who are still acting gay on the down low. Most eventually get caught. The other group are those who deal with their self-hatred and lack of self acceptance by turning all of their energies against others. By being so caught up in trying to change others, they can be in denial of their own lack of real happiness.

YouTube – Interview with David Yost Part 3.

This is from a post at Change.org:

In the past year, three gay students have committed suicide in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. This comes on top of an investigation last year that found two teachers in the district were harassing a gay student.

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School board members refuse to answer the question, and are instead caving into pressures from anti-gay religious groups to keep an anti-bullying curriculum inclusive of LGBT students off of high school campuses.

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/demand_anoka-hennepin_school_board_address_gay_suicide_epidemic