Trudy Hutchens

Trudy Hutchens argues in the following viewpoint that gay activists overstate the number of teens who commit suicide because of distress over their sexual orientation. She maintains that many of those gay teens who do kill themselves do so for reasons other than their homosexuality. Although Hutchens states that any suicide is a tragedy, she contends that gay activists are exaggerating the number of homosexual teen suicides in order to gain sympathy and to promote the homosexual lifestyle as normal and healthy. Hutchens is a researcher and writer for Family Voice, a monthly periodical published by Concerned Women for America, an organization devoted to promoting traditional Judeo-Christian values.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Hutchens, why are the statistics cited in Paul Gibson’s study skewed?
2. Why is...