A gay man remembers his high school years filled with loneliness, fear, and self-hatred. Another man recalls spending every lunch period in a bathroom stall. A lesbian recollects her bottling up all her emotions and silencing all impulsive gestures, terrified of saying or doing anything to betray her own secret. Unusual memories? Perhaps for some. Most homosexuals and many of today's high school students can describe similar tales. In most teenagers' lives, they experience a memorable four years in high school; gay teenagers often have a different story to tell, many of which are very similar to the ones above.
             Teenagers endure school constantly trying to fit in and be accepted by the groups around them; gay students go through this same process, but many times it is much harder for them to find a group that will accept them for who they are. In most cases, it makes a homosexual student feel better to 'come out' (to state one's sexuality) with friends and people at school. A study done in 1995 by the United States Department of Health and Human Services showed that gay and lesbian teenagers are 35% more likely to commit suicide. Every year, this rate continues to grow more and more rapidly.
             In most high schools across the nation, there is a 3 or more percentage of homosexual teenagers. The majority of this number is hiding themselves. In other words, they are 'playing strait' (acting heterosexual). In an average high school, about 1% of the average 3% homosexuals are openly homosexual. (Hopkins)
             On average, a high school student, gay or straight, will hear "anti-gay remarks about 25-40 times in one school day. (Hopkins) Out of all the verbal abuse heard, 80% of it is failed to be reported, due to the fact that students are not yet confident in their own sexuality.
             A survey done in 1996 by The Safe School Anti-Violence Project reported that out of the 8,400 high ...