To begin, we should say that even if only 1% of those suicides were gays, they deserve compassion and respect. With that having been said, the 33% statistic is erroneous. The Courage web site reports: "A 1989 report from the Task force on Youth Suicide of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services once stated that one third of all youth suicides are committed by those who believe they are gay. The government quickly repudiated that report because there was no solid research to back it up, and it turned out to be the work of two gay activists. The media played up the study but never reported its removal."
But more importantly, I don't think that endorsing sexual activity between homosexuals would decrease their suicide rates. For example, look at heterosexuals: Research shows that "Sexually active teens are less likely to be happy, more likely to be depressed, and more likely to attempt suicide. Teenage girls who are sexually active are three times more likely to be depressed and three times more likely to attempt suicide than girls who are not active. Teenage boys who are sexually active are more than twice as likely to be depressed and are almost ten times more likely to attempt suicide than boys who are not active."[1]
If heterosexual teens who are sexually active have higher rates of suicide and depression than abstinent teens, it's not surprising that the same pattern appears for homosexual teens (many of whom might not feel motivated to practice abstinence). The solution to this is not to endorse teenage sexual activity, but to look at why they have chosen that lifestyle, and to help them with those deeper issues, regardless of their sexual orientation.
For example, a recent poll of lesbians found that 37% had been physically abused, and 32% had been raped or sexually attacked. 19% had been the victim of incest as a youth. These are all sources of great pain, and could play a major role in driving one into depression. It would be irresponsible and unloving to expect an endorsement of the homosexual lifestyle to solve these deeper problems. All too often, that is exactly what happens--that people (homosexual and heterosexual) look for sex to numb life's pain.
I agree with you that society's attitude towards homosexuality plays a role in the suicide rate of those who have same-sex attractions. Acts of violence, rejection, and bigotry against gays and lesbians has undoubtedly driven some to self-hatred and despair. All people, especially Christians, have the obligation to correct this injustice with love and compassion.
While prejudice against homosexuals can play a role in their unhappiness, evidence suggests that the lifestyle itself causes further pain.
Today, the homosexual movement is much more open and public than ever before. Turn on the TV twenty years ago, and you would think nobody on earth was homosexual. Nowadays, the media enthusiastically promotes tolerance and diversity. Yet the suicide rates do not seem to be any lower. The gay lifestyle may be more public today, but just because more people have rainbow bumper stickers on their cars, that does not mean that life is any easier for the individual who has those feelings.
I could imagine being a young man, being part of a family, having plenty of friends, and having a same-sex attraction. I think I would feel two things above all: loneliness and fear. In my fear, I'd wonder if people really knew me, would they love me at all. . . and since they don't really know me now, is anyone really loving the real me? It seems like either way I go, there will not be an easy solution. I can continue to hide my feelings, and pretend to be the person others think I am, or I can disclose my feelings, and risk total rejection. Virtually the only comfort I could have is that God said that even if my mother and father reject me, He will still take me in.
In the words of mother Teresa, who called homosexuals "friends of Jesus," she said "Jesus loves you always, even when you don't feel worthy. When not accepted by others, even by yourself sometimes, He is the one who always accepts you. Only believe, you are precious to him. Bring all you are suffering to His feet, only open your heart to be loved by Him as you are. He will do the rest."
Mother Teresa loved those who had same-sex attractions, but she still called them to purity. In fact, it is precisely because she loved them that she called them to practice chastity. It is a false form of compassion to lead others to think that they can find fulfillment by living outside the will of God.
Unfortunately, the culture today has shoved into our faces the lie that if we can't have sex with whoever we want, then our freedom is robbed, we are being judged, and we will never be loved or understood. They tell us that those who have same sex attractions only have two options: sexual promiscuity, or living in the closet in fear. But there is another path, and it is filled with hope. You can read about one man living it out here.
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[1]. Facts About Abstinence Education, Robert Rector, The Heritage Foundation, Web Memo 461. See www.heritage.org/research/family/cda0304.cfm for research.