Political Debates Are Exacerbating the Mental Health Crisis Among LGBTQ Youth | Opinion
gravely impacted by suicide, this public health crisis magnifies. And when you layer on other marginalized identities that an LGBTQ young person may hold—be it socioeconomic, racial, regional, or cultural—the crisis intensifies even further.As a scientist who's steeped in daily research to identify both protective and risk factors contributing to increased suicidality among LGBTQ youth, I'm unsettled by a few things.One, that this public health crisis continues to show unabated consequences.
Two, that some recent media reporting has recklessly ignored evidence that societal rejection directly impacts the mental health and potential suicide risk of LGBTQ young people—particularly trans and nonbinary youth.
And three, despite the grave consequences illuminated by this research, we still are seeing relentless attacks from lawmakers, policymakers, and other high-powered adults that victimize LGBTQ young people, and in some cases, risk their lives.My team at The Trevor Project, the nation's leading provider of suicide prevention and crisis intervention services for LGBTQ youth, released our 2024 U.S.
National Survey on the Mental Health and Well-being of LGBTQ+ Young People. Commensurate to previous years' findings, we see that LGBTQ young people have much higher rates of considering or attempting suicide than their straight and cisgender peers; 39 percent of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year—including 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people.
