Supportive communities and a progressive political climate can help combat LGBT teen suicides, especially among girls, new UBC school of nursing research shows. “Consistent evidence has indicated higher rates of suicidal behaviour among sexual minority youth than their heterosexual counterparts,” the report said. Data came from the 2013 British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey. The study sample included 2,678 self-identified LGB and mostly heterosexual students (69% girls) in grades 8-12 from 274 B.C. public schools. “In Canada, suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among youth aged 15–24 years, representing one of the leading causes of youth fatality,” the study said. What the B.C. research team found was that the greater the LGBTQ youth supports in a community, the less likely sexual minority youth, particularly lesbian and bisexual girls, were to have suicidal thoughts or attempts, or to self-harm than their straight counterparts in communities.