By Steve Quinn
JUNEAU (Reuters) - A U.S. congressman should have taken a more "sensitive approach" when talking about teen suicide to a group of Alaska high school students he was addressing after a classmate recently took his own life, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
Representative Don Young, a Republican, was answering questions on Monday from an initially friendly crowd of students and teachers at Wasilla High School when the politician said suicide can be attributed to a lack of support from family and friends, principal Amy Spargo said.
The mood in the room was already tense after Young, 81, who is the state's only member of the House of Representatives, made other blunt comments, including mentioning bull sex while discussing gay marriage, and some of the roughly 120 students in attendance spoke up to challenge Young, Spargo said.
"When someone is disrespectful, we call foul. That's what the students did. They called foul," Spargo said.
"The most emotion the students showed was them saying you're wrong about people who commit suicide," she said. "Our friend had support."
Young's comment in the town, located about 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Anchorage, came after a student recently killed himself, Spargo said. Alaska has long had one the highest rates of suicide per capita in the country.
"(Young) discussed what he believes are leading causes of youth suicide in our state and shared some suggestions for helping family members and friends who are dealing with suicidal thoughts," spokesman Matt Shuckerow said in a statement.
"In no way did Congressman Young mean to upset anyone with his well-intentioned message. In light of the tragic events affecting the Wasilla High School community, he should have taken a much more sensitive approach," Shuckerow said.
Shuckerow said Young has communicated with Wasilla High School Administration his regret for any offense taken during "the honest and spirited discussion".
It was unclear when the student killed himself.
(Reporting by Steve Quinn in Juneau, Alaska; Editing by Eric M. Johnson, Alex Dobuzinskis and Leslie Adler)