As crews outside the building prepared for Pride weekend festivities, Gov. Pat Quinn visited the Center on Halsted June 26 to sign legislation aimed at preventing teen suicide. The Jason Flatt Act, versions of which have become law in four other states, provides for suicide detection and prevention training for school social workers for grades seven through 12. Currently, only teachers and guidance counselors are required to undergo such training.
The law also puts suicide-prevention training on the list of professional development activities required for teacher certification or re-certification.
The bill was sponsored in the state legislature by Rep. Greg Harris and Sen. Heather Steans, both Democrats from Chicago.
"It's a law that saves lives," Quinn said at a press conference prior to the signing. "I think there's a passage in scripture that says, 'If you save one life, you save the whole world.'
"We've got to do everything possible to prevent such a sad occurrence from taking place," Quinn said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the number of teen suicides has been on the rise in recent years; it's the third leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 24. Although the speakers at the signing did not specifically address the issue as it relates to LGBT youth, Quinn's decision to hold the ceremony at the Center was indicative of the special concern that LGBT people have for suicide prevention.
According to the Trevor Project, a national organization dedicated to suicide prevention among LGBT youth, that population is up to four times as likely to attempt suicide as heterosexual youth; for LGBT youth who "come from a rejecting family," the number jumps to nine times as likely.
The final speaker at Saturday's ceremony was state director of insurance Michael McRaith. "Nearly 14 years ago, my partner Eric killed himself," said McRaith, who has worked with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
An experience like that, McRaith said, "is one we carry with us every minute, every day."