Giving Compass' Take:

• After the suicide of a 9-year-old boy in Colorado who faced bullying after he came out, TIME analyzes the mental health challenges facing LGBTQ kids.

• How can schools ensure a more inclusive and welcoming environment for LGBTQ students? One place to start is to create more safe spaces across the country.

• We also must not forget that LGBTQ discrimination is driving kids into homelessness.

The death by suicide of a 9-year-old Colorado fourth grader underscores the challenges surrounding youth mental health — particularly the risks LGBTQ kids face.

Jamel Myles was found dead of suicide just days after his mom said he came out as gay to his classmates, the Denver Post reports. Myles, who had come out to his family over the summer, reportedly faced significant bullying from his classmates as he began the new school year.

“My child died because of bullying. My baby killed himself,” Myles’ mother, Leia Pierce, told the Post. “He didn’t deserve this.”

While it’s difficult to assign a single cause to any death by suicide, Myles joins a tragic number of children who have faced bullying before taking their own lives. And kids of minority sexual orientations are at elevated risk. An estimated 34% of gay, lesbian or bisexual kids face bullying at school, which may make them especially susceptible to suicidal behavior, says John Ackerman, a clinical psychologist and the suicide prevention coordinator for the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Read the full article about the mental health challenges facing LGBTQ kids by Jamie Ducharme at TIME.