1/x My NIH grant that would collect data to help *prevent suicidal thoughts and behaviors* among LGBTQ+ people was terminated today, along with many other LGBTQ+ focused grants. These terminations make no sense scientifically. Here's why:
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thanks for the kind note. I know you are in the same boat too re. funding being pulled. All of this work matters so much. Sending rebellious and let's-fight-this vibes!
thanks, Kelly. 💚 You hit the nail on the head re. the decisions being cruel and senseless. I've lived my life believing that we should follow in the direction where stats and reason point us. People in power clearly feel differently. It really bums me out to think about who will be affected.
2/x Let's use suicide as just one example. Nearly 50k Americans die by suicide each year. One person dies by suicide every 12 min in the US alone. Suicide is devastating. Many people thus agree that suicide is a pressing public health problem.
3/x Many people would also agree that we learn a lot about particular outcomes by studying groups who experience high rates of those outcomes. Especially when those problems have a low base rate at a population level. Studying disproportionately affected groups is scientifically efficient.
4/x For instance, let's say I want to learn about depression risk. My study is much more efficient if I sample people at high risk for depression vs. sampling a general population. In this case, efficient means I can learn about risk by studying fewer people in less time, which costs less money.
6/x Even if we set aside values-based reasons for why we should study LGBTQ+ health and health disparities (and let's be clear that my driving reasons for doing this work are values-based)...
7/x ...the high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among LGBTQ+ people means that studying suicidal thoughts and behaviors among LGBTQ+ people is scientifically efficient. We can learn more about suicide from including LGBTQ+ people in research than virtually any other demographic group.
What I'm noticing globally is an environment that creates an overgrowth of personalities who not only don't care about preventing suicide, they enjoy causing it. And you can't sell them pills or treatments because "they're perfect" and they're the winners.
The subtext that I should have written is that (as only one example) by cancelling grants on suicide among LGBTQ+ people specifically, they're not saying they don't care about suicide. They're saying they don't care about suicide *in LGBTQ+ people.* That's the part I have a hard time stomaching.
The same people who advocated for and ran conversion therapy camps are in charge. This time without any checks and balances. Praying that the world can hear their story before the supreme court allows this again next year. They are one of many groups they don't want deaths studied and tracked.
You make a cogent argument, but, you are not seeing the reality of what MAGA’s prioritize. You can’t convince them that studying communities which are highly prone to suicide is a good thing because they don’t care about people who commit suicide. They lack empathy for anyone and everyone.
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What I'm noticing globally is an environment that creates an overgrowth of personalities who not only don't care about preventing suicide, they enjoy causing it. And you can't sell them pills or treatments because "they're perfect" and they're the winners.
https://bsky.app/profile/scott-delaney.bsky.social/post/3lkubnr746c2b
that you study this group
or
that you study suicide?
The latter may be possible by rewording & different sampling
The former is unlikely to get past the ban on 'woke'