by Delia M. Rios

About the author: Delia M. Rios is a writer for Newhouse News Service.

At the end of an interview with actress Ellen DeGeneres, aired the night her lesbian television character "came out," anchor Diane Sawyer addressed viewers of "PrimeTime Live":

"And as we close, we're going to repeat a government statistic that a gay teenager is some three times as likely to attempt suicide as another teen-ager. Ellen DeGeneres has said whatever happens to her, tonight's broadcast was in part to hold on to them."

It's a statistic that's been repeated innumerable times.

The trouble is, there is no scientifically valid evidence that it's true.

That was the conclusion—back in 1994—of representatives of the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Psychological Association, the American Association of...