A new study has found that gay and bisexual teens are more
likely to engage in risky behavior than their straight
counterparts. A possible culprit: bullying. The AP reports on a
CDC study which asked 150,000 high school students about risky
actions all the way from riding a bike without a helmet to
making a suicide attempt. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual teenagers
were more likely to take risks in 50-90% of the categories
surveyed. According to the AP, "one CDC official explains that
gay, lesbian and bisexual students deal with stigma and
disapproval, which can contribute to a kid taking risks." The
conclusions are based on self-reports and not on observation, so
it's possible that gay and bisexual teens are simply more
willing to own up to their risky behaviors. However, there is
other evidence that homophobic treatment could make kids more
risk-prone. An earlier study by the Family Acceptance Project
showed that kids who experienced anti-gay bullying at school
were more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior