The following quote is from the executive summary of a paper by Ann P. Haas, Ph.D. and Philip L. Rodgers, Ph.D., American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and Jody L. Herman, Ph.D. Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law January 2014:
“The prevalence of suicide attempts among respondents to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality, is 41 percent, which vastly exceeds the 4.6 percent of the overall U.S. population who report a lifetime suicide attempt, and is also higher than the 10-20 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults who report ever attempting suicide. Much remains to be learned about underlying factors and which groups within the diverse population of transgender and gender non-conforming people are most at risk.”
Because the rate of suicide attempts is so high among the transsexual/ transgender population, I want to start off with an admonition to not try and harm yourself. You may be in despair and hurting greatly, but I am here to tell you that there is great hope. As Jeremiah the prophet said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” Jeremiah 32:17
I understand how dark it can get. I tried taking my life. When I was so intent on killing myself, God whispered in my mind, “You are playing into the enemy’s hands.” But I said, “I don’t care!” and proceeded to carry out my plan. My Heavenly Father graciously intervened, and my plan failed. It is good, because I really did care, but I was in so much emotional pain and had listened to so many lies that I despaired of life. I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital until God could speak further truth to me when I was ready to listen.
Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” This “thief” that Jesus spoke of is also called “the father of lies” or Satan. He was in the garden of Eden and spoke lies to Eve, tempting her to think wrongly of God, to think wrongly of herself. Satan and his minions came to me as a child when I was hurting greatly … they spoke their hateful lies to me, intent on destroying me.