Gay youth suicide is epidemic. Although this figure has since been discredited as seriously inflated, it is still used as justification for introducing gay-affirming school programs. Scapegoating and teasing can be cruel and destructive. Indeed, family disruption and suicidal ideation are more common among sexually confused teenagers. The gay subculture into which such teenagers are directed has a high rate of depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, anonymous sex, and unsafe sex practices.
Few teens possess the judgment and self-control to make wise decisions in such an environment.
Rather than affirming teens as gay, counselors should affirm them as individuals, but encourage them to wait to adulthood to make choices about sexuality. Most parents prefer to have their child grow up heterosexual. This attitude implies not homophobia, but a realistic assessment of comparative lifestyles. Gay men have a greater number of lifetime sexual partners. Significant numbers of gay men are victims of physical violence, and both homosexual men and women are over-represented among groups with certain psychological problems.