Here's one way to protect your teenager—queer or not—from suicide: move to a big city.

A new scientific working paper (spotted by Tim De Chant of Per Square Mile) contends that as population density decreases, the suicide rate among young people increases. This effect becomes particularly pronounced below 300 inhabitants per square kilometer — roughly the density of San Diego County.... When they narrowed their view down to young people ages 15 to 19, however, they found a clear statistical pattern showing that the death rate fell as population density increased (or vice versa). This was true for charts of all 50 American states plus D.C. as well as charts of about 1,000 U.S. counties.

Billy Lucas, Justin Aaberg, Jaden Bell, Carlos Vigil, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown, Raymond Chase, Cody Barker—all gay kids growing up in small towns and rural areas. My advice, once again, for straight parents of gay teenagers:

Straight parents? Once you realize your kid is gay—which parents of gay kids usually realize long before their gay kids realize it themselves—take a long, hard look at the community in which you live. Take a long, hard look at the church where you worship. Take a long, hard look at the schools your kid will be forced to attend. Then decide if staying put is worth your child's life.

Looks like straight parents should take population density into account as well. (Thanks to Slog tipper Matt.)