Non-Normative Gender and Sexual Identities in Schools: - Schools Out

SS: Oh for sure, yeah.
AM: You know from their experiences.
SS: Um, we have a higher use of alcohol and um drugs.
AM: Yes.
SS: And obviously our suicide rates are higher within LGBT.
AM: I saw that, not for men, but in terms of lesbian, cos the study Stonewall Lesbian
Health Project, I got that through the post last week.
SS: Samaritans you’ll find will also say I think it’s incredible high, I mean we’ve gotta
check where it is cos we’re just about to re-do our leaflet and we want to put the suicide
figures in and I’m not finding where it is. But I know there’s been various stuff which has
said they are much higher, I’ve just got to nail down the actual research.
AM: the actual figure, yeah.
SS: Um, if you find it send it to me!
AM: Yes, I will yeah.
SS: I mean it’s certainly there, I mean its been out there for some time, the gay teenage
project, but I cant work out where that project was. I mean I’ve used it loosely on the um
on my power points.
AM: Yeah, um it rings a bell with me as well but I can’t think exactly.
SS: I know the Samaritans have done it as well, but I haven’t yet found where that bit is. I
might need to ring them up and say, well I did ring them up, they didn’t ring me back.
AM: That’s’ useful!
SS: Yeah. So there’s all that stuff out there, um [//] there’s burying yourself in your books
completely and getting yourself into University and then burning out the first year.
AM: Yes! (sighs) I actually yes, I can relate to that one. Although I didn’t actually burn
out in the first year, I was very sensible and I kind of predicted this so I took a year out
between my A levels and my university.
SS: Uh huh.
AM: And so, but yeah that’s’ personal experiences and experiences of friends where
they’ve, like you said, buried themselves in books. So you kind of go one direction or the
other, but which is actually better in the long term is is debateable really.
SS: Um, that’s right yeah.