“Being a statistic”: Defy the numbers by flourishing

Photo by Sandra Grünewald on Unsplash

From guest author Blaire Ostler, a philosopher specialized in queer studies, and a leading voice at the intersection of queer, Mormon, and transhumanist thought, author of the academic but also very personal volume, Queer Mormon Theology: An Introduction. In her blog, Blaire writes:

More studies come out every year with new findings concerning the anxiety, depression, and suicide rates of LGBTQ+ folks. I’m tired of the statistics. I am tired of listening to others debate our suicide ideation, attempts, and reasons. I’m tired of listening to inaccurate assumptions, bad stereotypes, and ignorant comments.

More than anything, I’m tired of burying my friends.

It is one thing to study the statistics and it is quite another to be the statistic. The statistics are important, but they don’t tell the whole story. They don’t tell how it feels to be one of the statistics. I am more than a statistic. I am a person with a story to tell, and I will not let the statistics speak on my behalf.  

I am a story, not a statistic for others to debate. As members of the queer community, we can change the statistics. Be the author of your story. Defy the statistics by flourishing. I’m tired of burying my friends. I want you alive. We are more than statistics. 

(from "More than a Statistic" by Blaire Ostler, emphasis added, posted with permission)