More than half of transgender and nonbinary youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and 86% report that recent debates around anti-transgender state laws have negatively impacted their mental health
February 7, 2023 — The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ young people, condemned the Virginia House of Delegates’ passage of two anti-trans bills: HB 1387 — a bill that would restrict transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity, and HB 2432 — a bill which would require teachers to “out” transgender and nonbinary students to their potentially unsupportive parents without their consent.
“It can be hard for people to understand what it means to be a transgender or nonbinary young person if they’ve never met one. But trans and nonbinary young people are our friends, family members, and neighbors, and like all young people, they deserve safe and inclusive learning environments where they can thrive and be supported as they are,” said Kasey Suffredini (he/him pronouns), Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. “These bills would only contribute to further isolation and stigma at a time when trans young people are already struggling: more than half of trans and nonbinary youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year and 86% report that recent debates around anti-transgender state laws have negatively impacted their mental health. We urge the Virginia State Senate to reject both of these unnecessary measures and instead work to expand opportunity and support services for trans students across the Commonwealth.”
The Trevor Project’s 2022 U.S. National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health by State found that 53% of transgender and nonbinary youth in Virginia seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, and 17% attempted suicide. At a national level, The Trevor Project’s data has found that 71% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported that they have experienced discrimination based on their gender identity. And research has found that transgender and nonbinary youth who report experiencing discrimination based on their gender identity had more than double the odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not.
Further, The Trevor Project’s new polling, 86% of transgender and nonbinary youth say recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively impacted their mental health:
- When asked about new policies that would ban transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams and transgender boys from playing on boys’ sports teams, 64% of transgender and nonbinary youth said it made them feel angry, 44% felt sad, 39% felt stressed, and 1 in 4 felt scared.
- When asked about proposed legislation that would require schools to tell a student’s parent or guardian if they request to use a different name/pronoun, or if they identify as LGBTQ at school, 67% of transgender and nonbinary youth feel angry, 54% feel stressed, 51% feel scared, 46% feel nervous, and 43% feel sad.
The Trevor Project’s research also shows that transgender and nonbinary youth who have access to gender-affirming spaces and gender identity acceptance from adults and peers report lower rates of attempting suicide in the past year. However, a 2022 peer-reviewed study found that many transgender and nonbinary youth who reported an interest in playing sports cited concerns around harassment, stigma, and gendered spaces.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.
