Recent data has found that denying LGBT people equal access to the institution of marriage, protection from employment discrimination, and other civil rights and family benefits may be contributing to higher poverty rates in the LGBT community than in the general population overall. This issue brief examines the latest data on poverty in the LGBT community and outlines how the continued expansion of civil rights will help to reduce it.

Senate Democrats said this week that they would seek to broaden the federal hate crimes law to protect victims of attacks based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disabilities. To lift the chances of passage, Democrats said the legislation, known as the Matthew Sheppard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, would be attached as an amendment to the annual defense authorization bill.

The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) survey—released in October 2008—looks at the scope of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools, its impact
on the student experience and the interventions that are working to improve school climate for all students.

Gail Griffith tells an unsparing tale of her son Will's attempt to kill himself, and the complicated road to recovery.

State and national surveys indicate that gay and lesbian teens are at a significantly higher risk of attempting suicide than their heterosexual peers. But there is help available, geared especially towards the needs of this group: The Trevor Project. Letitia L. Star reports.

Teens who have been raised by openly gay parents have a unique perspective on the contentious issue of single-sex marriage. Rob Capriccioso spoke with three such teens about their views.

PBS's In the Mix is a platform for teens by teens. This episode gets teens talking about gay issues.

Need help finding resources on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues? The Human Rights Campaign FamilyNet provides information and support about important issues, including family law, adoption, coming out, workplace discrimination. Use the website to ask the experts a question about an issue you care about.

Gay and lesbian teen-agers, frustrated by the harassment they get at school, are asking their state legislators to step in and pass laws that would do what their teachers and principals are failing to do: protect them. This article first appeared on WomensEnews.com.

An unexpected phone call from a stranger led Michael Bochenek of Human Rights Watch to explore the problems that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students face in school. He and a colleague put their findings into a report, "Hatred In the Hallways." In this column for Connect For Kids, Bochenek argues schools need to do much more for these students.