Young + gay + rural = risk

David Graham's story is not unusual. Kids are hard on people who are a bit 'different' - not necessarily gay, just not quite the same as the majority. And any difference is all the more obvious - and therefore all the more likely to cause problems - in small rural communities.

The internet has made it easier for rural gays to find others like themselves, and help and support services. But they can still be a long way away, and demand considerable effort to access.

So a gay kid in a country schoolyard will have a tough time fitting in, a hard time finding support and understanding - and a much easier time finding ways to kill themselves.

Many kids - especially gay kids - have a hard time at school. Many think about killing themselves, especially during the upheavals of adolescence. Some succeed. But many more are deterred by the effort involved.

On the other hand, David talks casually about handling a gun while he was at school - something most city kids will never do their entire lives (unless they opt to follow Carl Williams' career path).

Like most country boys, he drove from a young age, and has spoken publicly before about the number of 'single person accidents' in country areas, when young men drive their utes into trees - many of which are disguised suicides.

It's a toxic combination - hard to get help, easy to find the means to end it all. Not to mention that almost everyone living in the country will know someone - probably even a family member - who has committed suicide. And as Joan Rivers has said, once suicide is in a family, you can't get it out. It's always there as an option.

That's why reaching out to young gays in the country, efforts to stamp out bullying and anti-gay behaviour in country schools, colleges, sports teams and workplaces, are so important.