GAY TRUTH

When I argued that the language used by same-sex marriage advocates risked doing the real harm to LGBTI youths, Facebook removed my post. It took the intervention of former Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson to get it restored, writes John Dickson. Perhaps the most powerful argument   for   same-sex marriage and   against   holding a plebiscite on the issue is the potential harm that is being done to vulnerable LGBTI youth. But the argument itself is far from self-evident, and there are reasons to suspect that both sides of the debate share equal responsibility for protecting gay and lesbian youth from feeling they are a despised minority. The statistics are solid and alarming. A   systematic review of research in the scientific journal BMC Psychiatry   found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people "are at higher risk of mental disorder, suicidal ideation, substance misuse, and deliberate self harm than heterosexual people." Suicide attempts are 2.47 times

Springsteen, Bryan Adams back LGBT campaign, cancel concerts in North Carolina , Mississippi usicians Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams cancelled planned shows in North Carolina and Mississippi this week over the states’ bathroom privacy and religious freedom laws. Springsteen cancelled his April 10 appearance in Greensboro, NC in protest of the state’s new law requiring people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex.  In a  statement  on his website, the singer announced: North Carolina has just passed HB2, which the media are referring to as the “bathroom” law…To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress. Right now, there are many groups, businesses, and individuals in North Carolina working to oppose and overcome these negative developments. Taking all of this into account, I feel that this is a time for me and the band to