This factsheet was created by Dr. Margaret Robinson for Rainbow Health Ontario.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS FACTSHEET:

Statistics on the numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) people who consider or attempt suicide are based on self-reporting. Data on completed LGBTQ suicides are unavailable, since sexual orientation is often unknown or unrecorded. As a result, the figures on LGBTQ suicides, although alarming, are also underestimated.

A survey of Ontario students in grades 7-12 found that 9.5% (99,000 Ontario youth) have considered suicide within the past year. In addition, 2.8% (29,000 students) report attempting suicide within the past year. The survey did not ask about sexual orientation, but these figures are important for comparison with available LGBTQ data.