United States Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she's well aware of the issues LGBT teenagers in America face, and says Amercia has got to do everything it can to make gay youth feel valued. In a question and answer session with young voters uploaded to YouTube.com, Clinton was asked about the high rate of depression and suicide amongst LGBT teens. "It's such a serious problem," she responded. "I'm well aware of the depression and anxiety and frankly the high rate of suicide comparatively among gay teens. "We've got to do everything we can to send a clear message that we value you. We value you as a person, you as a total person and we want you to feel accepted and respected in your community and you'll certainly have a president who feels that way." Clinton added that school can be a difficult place with "not a lot of understanding and sensitivity," and suggested more health services, mentoring and assistance for LGBT young people could begin to address the issue. "Just because somebody doesn't understand doesn't mean they should to be a bully," she explained. "They need to really be taught and guided to be more accepting and that is something that I feel very strongly about. "There's even a school in New York that I have supported that is just for gay teens because it is very difficult in many areas for people to find any acceptance whatsoever. Clinton concluded: "We need more health services. We need more mentoring and assistance so that you don't feel so alone." Clinton has been campaigning strongly for nomination as the US Democratic Party's candidate for President, receiving the endorsement of the New York Times newspaper last week. A recent The Advocate magazine article noted: "She [Clinton] has by far the longest and best record on LGBT issues." Clinton was an original cosponsor of both the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the hate-crimes bill, has pushed for expanded funding for HIV/AIDS services, and famously was the first First Lady to march in a Gay Pride Parade. However, Clinton has stopped short of supporting gay marriage. The Advocate's Sean Kennedy notes: "According to polls, 60% of Americans are against same-sex marriage, which means it's too risky for a presidential candidate to go there." Clinton answers the question about LGBT teenagers at the 3:20" mark of the YouTube clip shown below.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Sunday, 27th January 2008 - 12:25pm