While the support of Pink Triangle Services is gratefully acknowledged,
the opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily
reflect those of Pink Triangle Services. A slightly different version of this
report was submitted as an Independent Enquiry Project to the Faculty of Graduate
Studies and Research at Carleton University in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Social Work.
Copyright © 1992, 1996, by Curtis Magnuson. All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or utilised in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
microfilm and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from Pink Triangle Services
or the author.
From June 23 to August 23, 1991, Pink Triangle Services conducted a needs survey of 129 gay, lesbian, and bisexual Ottawa youths between the ages of 14 and 25 in order to determine the impact that involvement with the gay and lesbian community has on their lives. Topics covered by the survey included: level of participation in the gay and lesbian community; coming out experiences; HIV/AIDS and safer sex; gay and lesbian relationships; exposure to violence; suicidal behaviour; use of alcohol and other drugs; and experiences with professional helpers and self-help groups.
The majority of respondents were between the ages of 23 and 25, with 19% in their teenage years. Most were exclusively gay or lesbian, although significant minorities of both sexes reported being bisexual. The largest number were employed full-time (43%), with full-time students making up the second largest group (41%). Three quarters of youth were living away from their families' homes and most had modest incomes, even though 29% had completed a university degree.
Pink Triangle Youth was the most frequently used community programme (64%), followed by the Gayline (48%), and the PTS Library (45%). On average, respondents were involved with 3.29 community programmes, with members of Pink Triangle Youth showing much more involvement in other aspects of the gay community than were non-members of PTY.
For the most part, youth were comfortable coming out to their gay and straight friends. Youth were most comfortable coming out to other gay men and lesbians and received the most support from these people. Overall, the reactions of others to openly gay and lesbian youth were fairly positive; however, many youth were not out at work, at school, or with their families; 19% of respondents were not out to any family members and, of those families who did know, 28% reacted negatively. The need for school-based outreach and counselling services was identified by 12% of respondents.
More than half of respondents had been tested for the HIV virus and one in five indicated that their sexual practices put them at risk for exposure to HIV. Males who were involved with the gay community exhibited higher use of condoms for anal sex than did non-involved males. Although many respondents were concerned about AIDS, they were not necessarily having less sex as a result.
Regarding gay and lesbian relationships, 42% of respondents were involved in a committed relationship with one sexual partner, one quarter were not currently sexually active, and 27% of males were sexually active but not in a relationship. These males were the most likely to always practice safer sex. The average age for the onset of sexual activity for both sexes was 15 years.
More women than men had used the support services of professionals or self-help groups, although significant numbers of both sexes had done so. The assumption of heterosexuality was made by half of professionals and self-help organisations, although 47% of self-help groups assisted young people to meet other gay and lesbian youth. More than a third of respondents were uncomfortable coming out to professionals and believed they had little knowledge of homosexuality. Similar numbers of respondents were uncomfortable coming out to self-help groups, although more of them believed these groups were knowledgeable of gay and lesbian issues.
Respondents identified their greatest concerns as violence (25%), coming out (17%), rejection (13%), and employment-based discrimination (11%). The fact that more than a third of them always or often limit their activities out of concern for their personal safety is indicative of their awareness of and vulnerability to violent behaviour. Three quarters of youths reported having been verbally abused; 32% were sexually assaulted; and 31% were physically assaulted. Women were more likely to have been exposed to violence than were men.
Two thirds of respondents had contemplated suicide to the extent of developing a plan; 41% of those with a plan had made an attempt, comprising one third of all respondents. Suicidal behaviour was significantly correlated with age, exposure to violence, drug use, and rejection by one's family. The most frequently mentioned reason for having suicidal feelings was difficulty accepting being gay or lesbian (28%).
Use of alcohol and other drugs was comparable to that of Canadian youth generally, although somewhat lower than Canadian college and university students, from which a large percentage of the sample was drawn. Even though alcohol use was fairly moderate, the need for more non-alcoholic events was identified by 22% of them.
A number of recommendations directed at a variety of organisations are found at the end of this document.
This research project would not have come about if it were not for the support and encouragement of a number of people. This has been a collaborative effort from the outset and I would like to thank those whose assistance has been invaluable to me.
First, Dr. Colleen Lundy, my research advisor at the Carleton University School of Social Work; Judy Girard, Board Member of Pink Triangle Services; Barry Deeprose, a long-time member of Pink Triangle Services; Tom Barnes, Office Manager of Pink Triangle Services; Melanie Porter and Marc Chenier, past presidents of Lesbian and Gay Youth Ottawa-Hull; Brenda Macevicius, of the Women's Project, AIDS Committee of Ottawa; Susan Rowley, of the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre; Kris Trotter, of Carlington Community Resource Centre; Stephen Loyd, of National Welfare Grants, Health and Welfare Canada; Walter Cavalieri, of Parkdale Community Health Centre, Toronto; Bob Tremble, of the Sexual Orientation and Youth Project, Central Toronto Youth Services; Nicole Laviolette, of Svend Robinson's office; and The Suicide Information and Education Resource Centre, Calgary, for written materials received.
I would also like to thank the Board of Directors of Pink Triangle Services, for covering the costs of reproducing and mailing the survey and printing the final report; the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at Carleton University, for financial assistance to attend the 1991 Canadian AIDS Conference as well as for statistical consultation; The Statistical Consulting Centre, Carleton University; and Stephen Heney, a graduate student in statistics, who coded the questionnaire and input the data into SPSS.
The Association of Lesbians and Gays of Ottawa (ALGO) Centre, Sandy Hill and Centretown Community Health Centres, the Ottawa Women's Bookstore, After Stonewall Books, Taktiks, and Centretown Pub all agreed to distribute copies of the questionnaire, for which many thanks.
A special thank you goes to the 129 lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths who completed the questionnaire. Without their interest, this study would not have been possible. This report is dedicated to them.
On a recent visit to Ottawa, Tom Barnes persuaded me to make this report available in its original form. While more than five years have passed, I hope you will find the data I collected during the summer of 1991 as compelling as I did. Please send any comments via e-mail to ur484@freenet.victoria.bc.ca.
16 August 1999