Letter to the Editor

HCS Early College High School

2050 Highway 501 E

Conway, SC 29528

September 19, 2013

Letter to the Editor

The Sun News
P.O. Box 406
Myrtle Beach, SC 29578

Dear Editor in Chief:

My name is Kaitlin Presnell. I am a sophomore at Early College High School in Conway.

I am writing to address the issue of homosexual teens committing suicide after being bullied.

More homosexual teens are “coming out” these days. That means they have to take on the risk of getting bullied. Not every gay teen gets bullied but most do. When they do, it reduces their self-esteem making them more vulnerable. This will often lead to these teens having suicidal thoughts, attempting suicide, or committing suicide. Not only can gay teens be judged by their peers, but also by their family. Some can handle being criticized by their schoolmates, but can’t by their family.

Many people believe that this issue is being greatly exaggerated. Studies proved that homosexual teens accounted up for 30% of the suicide rate. It turns out that this information was taken only from at-risk homosexual teens so it could be somewhat wrong. However, suicide rates are higher for homosexual teens.

Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate your help and hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kaitlin Presnell