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Archive for the ‘Opinion and Editorials’ Category

We have to remember tragic events so we have hope for the future

In Opinion and Editorials on September 5, 2011 at 11:19 am

By Cristina Picozzi, Executive Editor

In 2010, there were a lot of suicides that were made public by the media. Some may remember Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old from western Massachusetts, who took her life at the beginning of the year after classmates harassed her. Others may have heard about Alexis Pilkington, a 17-year-old from West Islip, NY who took her life in March after cyberbullies took over social media.

However, those that stand out the most are those that happened between last September and October. At least 10 teenagers and young adults committed suicide, and I’m not saying that these are the most important; they are just the ones that were in the media the most.

According to SAVE.org suicide takes the lives of at least 30,000 people every year. For young adults and teenagers between the ages of 15-24, suicide is the third leading cause of death.

It’s clear that the LGBT community is not the only one affected by suicide, although sometimes it may seem that way. We need to remember that there are a lot of things that affect many different kinds of people. Tragic events don’t discriminate; no one is safe.

September 4-10 is National Suicide Prevention Week. All of these people are important. They all should be remembered. We need to remember the lives that were taken from us too early in hopes that the future may be different.

To The Polls

In Opinion and Editorials, To the Polls on August 4, 2011 at 4:58 pm

To the Polls

In Opinion and Editorials, To the Polls on July 24, 2011 at 11:32 pm

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CDC Naive to Increased Bullying, Lack of Support

In Opinion and Editorials on June 12, 2011 at 11:10 pm

By Cristina Picozzi Executive Editor

On June 6, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention released a report that states that gay, lesbian and bisexual students were at a greater risk of engaging in risky behaviors.

Some of the risky behaviors were drinking, smoking, sexual acts, suicide, and violence. Howell Wechsler, Ed.D, M.P.H, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) said this should be a wake up call for families, communities and schools. Although Wechsler did mention in the report that these young people are victimized and “go through additional stressors” that other students do not go through.

Although the report recognizes that LGBT students go through other stressors, the CDC still seems surprised that LGBT youth are more likely to partake in these behaviors.

Someone who has no family or friends supporting them is going to feel alone and may possibly turn to harming themselves. I am not saying that hurting oneself is the right choice in dealing with problems, but I am saying that society is blind if they are curious as to why LGBT youth take their lives more often than heterosexual students.

According the Trevor Project‘s Web site from National Adolescent Health Information in 2006, “suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds, accounting for over 12% of deaths in this age group; only accidents and homicide occur more frequently”.

So clearly suicide is not just dominate in the LGBT community, but in every community.

Studies have shown that LGBT adults are less likely to go visit a doctor because of fear of being judged or discriminated against, or were dissatisfied with service when they went because the doctor did not meet their needs since they are LGBT. It is not just youth that are affected because they practice risky health behaviors; adults are in the same boat. It’s not just LGBT people that practice risky behaviors, heterosexuals practice these risky behaviors as well, but may not talk about them as much. Also, the CDC said this was the first time they had looked into risky behaviors, but I do not believe that they ask students why they partake in such behaviors. The sample seemed to be large enough and was over a lengthy period of time, but I believe society is still clueless and blind to the increased amounts of  bullying and, sometimes lack of support that LGBT youth have.

To read the report yourself select the link below:

CDC Report on LGBT Youth and Risky Behaviors

Welcome to Illumination Magazine

In Opinion and Editorials on June 10, 2011 at 12:20 am

Hello! We are the editors of Illumination Magazine and our objective is to bring LGBT teenagers a relate-able magazine. Our magazine is mostly geared toward the ‘L’ in LGBT, but that should not prevent anyone from reading or writing us! We want to hear from our readers, followers and friends. We want to be a welcoming place for questions and comments, we will listen to you to be more well-rounded. Our editors come from different backgrounds and this will help incorporate many different ideas and views on various topics from education to politics and even entertainment.

We want to make a difference in a young person’s life because we believe that there was never an outlet for us. The youth are the adults of tomorrow and if they feel that they have no place to go or someone to talk to or even someone who kind of relates to them, then the future is not very bright for generations to come.

We will bring you into the light and show you all the different topics that are being talked about in the LGBT community. It is important to be informed in order to make good decisions for one’s self. We will do our best to serve you; no matter how many times we may stumble along the way.

Sincerely,

Cristina and Elizabeth

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