Massachusetts High School Students and Sexual Orientation

Results of the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

The Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS) is conducted every two years by the Massachusetts Department of Education with funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The survey monitors behaviors of high school students that are related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among youth and adults in the United States.

The 2007 MYRBS was conducted in 59 randomly selected public high schools.  In total, 3131 students in grades

9 - 12 participated in this voluntary and anonymous survey.  Because of the high student and school response rates, the results of this survey can be generalized to apply to public high school students across Massachusetts.

Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students

The MYRBS found that:

5.4 percent of students surveyed described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

9.2 percent of all students described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual and/or reported same-sex sexual contact. 

Students at Risk

Students who described themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual were significantly more likely than their peers to report attacks, suicide attempts and drug and alcohol use.  When compared to peers, this group was:

over four times more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year 

over three times more likely to miss school in the past month because of feeling unsafe

over four times more likely to have been injured or threatened with a weapon at school