STUDENT ENDS LIFE
Society should be more tolerant of gays: Activists TIMES NEWS NETWORK Mumbai: The society needs to change its attitude towards gay adolescents, rights activists said, 48 hours after a college student committed suicide at Kandivli (E) because he was ostracised due to his sexual preference. "The suicide rate amongst gay adolescents is 16-20 times higher than hetrosexual children,'' activist Ashok Row Kavi said. "The rate is higher among lesbians.'' Row Kavi's helpline, Humsafar, gets an average of 80 calls per week. "Most of the callers are youngsters, who want to know if being gay is unnatural and if there are others like them. They also ask if there are support groups.'' Activist Nitin Karani said it's important for parents to be more tolerant. The student who hanged himself on Wednesday left behind a suicide note, saying he had no friends in college and no one spoke to him because he was gay. HUMSAFAR Helpline: 266505-47/26673800 (12-7 pm)
