Rising star Josh Hutcherson joined the Straight But Not Narrow campaign by making a video statement calling for more tolerance towards homosexuals. The actor has known fame since an early age, starring in “The Bridge to Terabithia” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” and transitioned last year in the celebrated feature “The Kids are All Right,” spoke out in favor of gay rights as part of the ongoing campaign Straight But Not Narrow that speaks to straight men and women and invites them to speak up in favor of their gay peers. In the video, Hutcherson says that supporting gay friends “makes sense” as “it thins the competition down for the girls you like.” The campaign is designed to lessen heterosexual homophobia, especially among heterosexual males, by featuring straight men supporting gay rights, a move the campaign's website says is important and that was non-existent. “There have been a number of great campaigns and charities that have recently emerged to show support to gay youth and teens. However, we noticed one significant niche missing in the efforts …. the message to the young, straight male,” the campaign's website reads. The campaign says that most harassment and bullying young gay people endure now is subjected upon them from their heterosexual male peers. “It is for this reason that we are building a campaign that is primarily directed to the young, straight male by using comedy and their peers to positively influence their views on LGBT teens.” Gay rights activists say that gay youth suicide is on the rise due to bullying, inside and outside of the educational institutions, physical violence and parents' rejection that in many cases leads to homelessness, drug abuse and eventually suicide. Debate over young gay adults' suicide heightened in 2010 after five American youngsters committed suicide in a period of three weeks late 2010. 18-year-old Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi was the fifth gay youth to take his own life after two of his colleagues streamed an intimate encounter he had with another man online. Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River, in October last year. 13-year-old Seth Walsh, from Minnesota, was found dead in his backyard after he hanged himself from a tree. 13-year-old Asher Brown from Texas, shot himself in the head. 15-year-old Billy Lucas from Indiana, hanged himself after a classmate reportedly called him a “fag.” Raymond Chase, a 19-year-old sophomore at Johnson & Wales University, who was reportedly openly gay, also hanged himself in his dorm room. “The recent pattern of LGBT youth suicides is cause for grave concern. Campus Pride demands national action be taken to address youth bullying, harassment and the need for safety and inclusion for LGBT youth at colleges and universities across the country. We must not let these tragic deaths go unnoticed. Together we must act decisively to curb anti-LGBT bias incidents, harassment and acts of violence,” Campus Pride, a non-profit that deals with the security of the LGBT student community in the US, said in a statement following the youths' deaths. Studies found that suicide is the leading cause of death among young gays and lesbians. Gay and lesbian youth are two to 6 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts. Numerous studies also link parental acceptance to mental health among gay young adults. Studies say 50 percent of all gay and lesbian youth report that their parents reject them due to their sexual orientation and that 26 percent of gay and lesbian youth are forced to leave home. Approximately 40 percent of homeless youth are identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Studies also found that 55 percent of gay men have had a substance abuse problem sometime in their life. Approximately 28 percent of gay and lesbian youth drop out of high school because of discomfort – due to verbal and physical abuse – in the school environment. A research study conducted in late 2010, found that the bullying and harassment young LGBT youth face in schools, has compromising effects on their mental health. The study was conducted on 245 LGBT adults, ages 21 to 25, on their school experiences, and found younger LGBT adults to report higher levels of depression and dissatisfaction in life. “Our research makes it crystal clear that anti-LGBT bullying is a major reason that youth who don't conform to gender rules or expectations have poorer mental health later in life,” study co-author Stephen T. Russell, said in a written statement. BM
