Nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ young people said their mental health was poor most of the time or always due to anti-LGBTQ policies
May 17, 2023 — The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ young people, issued the following statement in response to a number of anti-LGBTQ bills signed by the governor of Florida today.
Statement from Casey Pick (she/her), Director of Law and Policy for The Trevor Project:
“LGBTQ young people in Florida deserve the same opportunity to lead happy, healthy lives as their peers. As the world recognizes International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, we are outraged to see Florida’s governor continue to cruelly target LGBTQ young people by signing this slate of harmful bills into law.
The Trevor Project’s research found that 45% of young LGBTQ Floridians have seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 16% have made an attempt. These young people are not inherently prone to suicide, but rather, placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. These anti-LGBTQ laws target the very things that we know can support and uplift LGBTQ young people – such as affirming environments at school and in the community, education about their identities and history, and best-practice healthcare.
For LGBTQ young people in Florida and across the country who might feel scared or stressed by this news – we see you. The Trevor Project is here to support you 24/7, and we will never stop fighting for your right to be exactly who you are. We will continue working with our partners and allies on the ground to push back against these dangerous policies.”
Relevant Research
- The Trevor Project’s 2022 U.S. National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health by State found that 45% of LGBTQ youth in Florida seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 16% made an attempt. 54% of transgender and nonbinary youth in Florida seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 1 in 5 attempted suicide.
- At a national level, The Trevor Project’s data has found that 60% of LGBTQ young people reported that they have felt discriminated against in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and those who have reported higher rates of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who have not.
- Nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ young people said their mental health was poor most of the time or always due to anti-LGBTQ policies, and nearly 2 in 3 said that hearing about potential laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ people at school made their mental health a lot worse.
- A 2020 peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project’s researchers, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that transgender and nonbinary youth who experienced bathroom discrimination had more than 1.5 times the odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not experience bathroom discrimination.
- Research has found that learning about LGBTQ people or issues has been associated with significantly lower odds (23%) of a past-year suicide attempt in LGBTQ students.
- According to The Trevor Project’s latest polling published in Jan. 2023, 86% of transgender and nonbinary youth say recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively impacted their mental health. A majority of those trans youth (55%) said it impacted their mental health “very negatively.”
- However, research also shows that transgender and nonbinary youth who have access to gender-affirming spaces report lower rates of attempting suicide.
- A 2021 peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project’s researchers, published in Transgender Health, also found that transgender and nonbinary youth who reported gender identity acceptance from adults and peers had significantly lower odds of attempting suicide in the past year.
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.
