The unnecessary loss of life.
I am, by and large, religion neutral. Few, I think understand their own belief systems and many do more harm than good. We are, for example, always hearing about how the Koran preaches tolerance and peace. That may be the way Islam is practiced in some communities in western liberal democracies, but that is certainly not the status quo in the Middle East. Jesus Christ said not one word about homosexuality, but had plenty to say about the evils of wealth, a fact over looked by fat cats such as Pat Buchannan, Rush Limbaugh and Pat Roberston.
It is perhaps unfair to blame the Mormon church for its gay members who commit suicide. There are, after all, plenty of us who have not taken such drastic measures and suicide is a complex issue. Nevertheless, despite recent speeches and statements stating love and inclusion for the church's gay and lesbian members, out reach to those members remains miserable and misinformed and offers little, if any, hope to those who find themselves caught between their religious beliefs and their sexuality. Other sentiments I have heard expressed "off the record" seem to suggest that, in the minds of many Mormons, the public position of the 70s still holds sway: "It were better that a mill stone be hanged about his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea." In other words, gay men and women are better off dead.
In the five and a half years that I have been out, I have been aware of two suicides close to people I know, men I had dated for a time. Today I learned of still one more. The difference this time is I knew him myself. I wish that I could say I am shocked, but I can't. Doug never did seem to me to have as good a grip on life as he wanted everyone to believe. It doesn't change the fact that he was a talented man who will be missed by his family and friends, and the world is poorer for his loss.