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Groups at higher risk

Across Colorado, nearly 800 people died by suicide in 2004, and that one-year total reached almost 1,300 in 2022, according to state data cited by Douglas County staff.

In Douglas County, the number of suicide deaths went from a recent low of 15 in 2005 to dozens higher in years afterward.

Last year, 53 people died by suicide in Douglas County, according to the state data.

But suicide risk is a direr problem for certain demographics, and that includes LGBTQ+ youth, who are far more likely than others to experience mental health distress, suicidal ideation, and suicide planning and attempts, according to a presentation by county staff.

About 26% of genderqueer or nonbinary people attempted suicide one or more times, according to 2021 Douglas County data focused on youth. That compares to 3% of males, the data say.

Among gay or lesbian youth, 19% attempted suicide one or more times, compared with 3% of straight people, the data say.

While suicide risk is a prevalent issue for young people, suicide also severely affects the middleaged male demographic.

“Nationally, statewide, and in Douglas County, middle-aged men represent the single largest group in number who die by suicide,” the county staff presentation says.

“Middle-aged men have been disproportionately impacted by suicide for decades yet prevention and intervention strategies that successfully reach this popu - lation are few and far in between which is why we prioritized this group for the grant,” the presentation adds.

‘Indoctrination’

Some public commenters pushed for the commissioners to deny funding for the Castle Rock Pride group, with one person characterizing the group’s activity as “indoctrination” and “the destruction of our children.”

That person mentioned “the drag queen show,” an apparent reference to last year’s drag show event at the county fairgrounds in Castle Rock.

Douglas County PrideFest held its annual event at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in August 2022. During a drag show at the celebration, a performer’s breast plate and false nipple were temporarily exposed.

Videos of the performance had circulated on social media, where some commenters expressed frustration with the exposure at an event not designated for adults only. Organizers had sent out an apology, saying it was not a planned part of the performance.

Castle Rock Pride doesn’t just host the annual Douglas County PrideFest. The nonprofit also holds monthly support groups, family meetups and educational opportunities, according to its website.

One commenter at the meeting said, “I am not anti-LGBTQIA alphabet city whatever. I want to make that clear,” before saying Castle Rock Pride should not receive funding, claiming the nonprofit didn’t meet criteria for the grant.

Others in the audience voiced support for the LGBTQ+ community in general. Angela Thomas, who said she’s a former social worker, told the commissioners about her experience with her child, who transitioned gender to male. Her child received support through counseling, Thomas said.

Had her child not received help, “I would have had a dead daughter, not a (living) son,” Thomas said.

“What these people in (the) Pride (group) are doing is providing acceptance” that kids may not get at home, said Thomas, arguing people should allow youth to be who they are.

Another commenter from Castle Rock said: “Gayness or gender spectrum has been with us since the beginning of time.”

Anya Zavadil, president of Castle Rock Pride, said as a person in the LGBTQ+ community, she “was not indoctrinated by anyone.”

“I grew up in this county as a human who didn’t know what gay was. My parents made sure of that. The community made sure of that,” Zavadil told the commissioners.

But she still grew up knowing she wasn’t like others, and she was suicidal, she said.

“It doesn’t matter how hard you try to keep children from knowing about the world. Because this is who I am. I am a queer woman who didn’t know that existed, and yet here I am because it’s the real thing,” Zavadil said. “So Castle Rock Pride, again, we are not indoctrinating. We are supporting kids who are hurting.”

Zavadil said she anticipated that negative comments about the nonprofit would occur at the meeting.

“Those comments only show us how important this support is for our youth,” Zavadil said, adding that when people hear “hatred from their community,” the need for mental health support increases.

‘Mistreated and stigmatized’

The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ young people, similarly says suicide risk in the LGBTQ community stems from how people are treated.

“LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society,” the organization’s website says.

Lora Thomas, one of Douglas County’s three commissioners, served as county coroner in the past and “sat in kitchens of families who lost children,” she said.

“We started this meeting with the pledge of allegiance (that says) ‘liberty and justice for all.’ And I thought, ‘How fitting,’” Thomas said.

She added that the funding is the community’s opportunity to say “you are welcome here. We want you to get the help that you all need.”

Disagreement on funding

Commissioner George Teal, who criticized Castle Rock Pride’s activity at the county fairgrounds, proposed excluding the nonprofit from the award list.

Commissioner Abe Laydon and Thomas did not support that proposal, so it failed.

Castle Rock Pride’s contract for services with the county says the nonprofit will expand its support groups to a wider area.

“Castle Rock Pride currently holds all groups in Castle Rock and will offer groups in additional locations in Highlands Ranch and Parker,” the document says. It adds: “Second, Castle Rock Pride plans a structured, therapist moderated monthly meetings for LGBTQIA+ teens ages 14-21 in both regions. This meeting will be led by a professional therapist hired by Castle Rock Pride.”

Zavadil said with the grant, her organization aims to help build connections and support and that the grant “is not being used for any other aspect.”

“We know that this county is large, and that citizens, especially youth, can’t always drive across the county to access” support, Zavadil said.

Thomas mentioned that any grant recipient has to prove it is successfully using its money, and if it doesn’t, it won’t continue to receive funding.

‘Vulnerable populations’

Some in the audience at the meeting argued Laydon should “recuse,” or remove, himself from the funding vote because he identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Laydon responded that Teal is a veteran and that “we’re going to support that community. I wouldn’t ask him to recuse himself when (talking) about veterans in our community.”

He noted that for many years in America, people were told that they were “unnatural.”

“And we hear, as the board of social services, (we know of children) who aren’t welcome in their own homes because of gender dysphoria,” Laydon said.

“I’m a dad. I’m a Republican. I’m a man of faith. And I’m a member of the LGBTQ community … For me, supporting vulnerable populations is a priority.”

Laydon and Thomas voted to approve the funding for the several mental health-related organizations, with Teal voting against them.

Other organizations e funding comes amid the county’s ongoing e ort to bolster mental health support in recent years. e source of the grant funding is the federal American Rescue Plan Act, often called ARPA. at’s a $1.9 trillion economic stimuluas bill signed into law in March 2021 with a goal to support the economic and public health recov- ery from the coronavirus pandemic. e grant funding the county approved July 25 totals $1.37 million. Aside from those already mentioned in this story, the bene ciaries of the grant funding include:

• e Happy Crew, an organization that gathers for “dinner, discussion, learning, and community” and provides a welcoming and positive environment for teens, its website says.

• e Juvenile Assessment Center for Colorado’s 18th Judicial District, which connects youth and families to resources and services “to help overcome their current barriers and create a stable environment where they can thrive,” its website says.

• Second Wind Fund, an organization that “provides an avenue for families to obtain actual treatment services for children and youth at risk for suicide by breaking down nancial and transportation barriers,” according to its website.

Data indicate suicide disproportionally affects middle-aged men. As a result, the commissioners are also allocating $127,830 to programs for men and veterans, including a grant to the organization Dads of Castle Rock for mental health rst-aid training, according to a county news release.