Rachel Crites and Rachel Smith from Gaithersburg, MD had been missing for two weeks when their bodies were discovered Saturday a little over an hour away from their hometown, the victims of an apparent double-suicide. The teens had been friends for over a year and were on their way to a movie on January 19th when they were last seen by their families.
Discovery of a journal entry in which Crites described her relationship with Smith, as well as a desire to be buried next to her, has led experts to conclude that the suicide was related to the girls' relationship. Additionally, Crites' father reports that Rachel had been suffering from depression for nearly a year.
According to the American Psychological Association, suicide is the number one cause of death for gay teens. Terrance at Republicoft draws a correlation between a society that can hardly agree one what sort of sex education should be taught in schools, and a culture in which gay teens bear more than the usual burden of shame and secrecy. Regardless of the root causes of Rachel Crites and Rachel Smith tragedy, one cannot look at their shining hopeful faces and not feel the grave terror facing so many gay teens today.
