Youth's Lives Every Day
As Pride Month comes to a close, the majority of state legislatures are adjourning for their summer recess. With the closing of legislative sessions comes a wave of newly enacted laws impacting the way LGBTQ+ young people navigate their daily life. Some of these laws positively impact LGBTQ+ young people, making their communities safer and more welcoming, while others have been enacted to undermine the needs of LGBTQ+ young people and create barriers for transgender and nonbinary young people to access essential services and gendered spaces.
Many states’ discriminatory efforts mirror the federal government’s continued attacks on LGBTQ+ youth, as the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has issued decisions that undermine rights and protections from LGBTQ+ youth, and the Administration has cut supportive resources, restricted essential healthcare, and amplified harmful rhetoric and misinformation. While several states have not wavered in their support for LGBTQ+ young people, others have unfortunately used this opportunity to maximize harm.
On March 31, SCOTUS issued their ruling in Chiles v. Salazar on Colorado’s law prohibiting discredited conversion therapy practices, ruling that the law may have violated the therapist’s First Amendment rights. The case was sent back to lower courts to judge against the higher standard they determined. To be clear, the Court did not decide that conversion therapy is safe or legal, but this ruling does complicate efforts to protect LGBTQ+ young people from these harmful practices. Thankfully, we have already seen lawmakers in states across the country, starting with Colorado, working to pass laws that will hold conversion therapists accountable while operating within the constraints of the Court’s ruling. On June 30, 2026 SCOTUS also issued a 6-3 ruling to uphold state laws that prohibit transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox.
During the 2026 state legislative sessions, lawmakers nationwide introduced at least 374 bills that threaten the health and safety of LGBTQ+ young people. Of these bills, at least 29 have been enacted so far. These new laws will: limit the availability of best practice medical care for transgender young people, prohibit appropriate restroom access for transgender young people, deny and even reverse the ability of transgender people to have accurate identification documents, limit the ability of schools to uphold best practices for supporting LGBTQ+ students, and weaken protections for LGBTQ+ young people within foster care and adoption systems.
While the news of these harmful new laws may be overwhelming, there’s still hope. Advocates across Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, and Nebraska successfully defeated 100% of the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that came their way.
Further, at least 242 bills were introduced nationwide that sought to increase protections for LGBTQ+ young people, and 11 bills have been enacted already – enshrining critical advancements into state laws across the U.S. These wins demonstrate that LGBTQ+ advocates nationwide continue to have the power to create meaningful change to protect our communities and create a more inclusive future for LGBTQ+ young people.
Here are some of the key areas in which state policies have advanced to protect and support LGBTQ+ youth in 2026:
Access to Healthcare
Several states nationwide advanced legislation during their legislative session to strengthen essential protections for transgender medical care. In late 2025, New York passed legislation that codified new protections for legally protected health care in the state. This year, Hawai’i and Oregon passed legislation that built upon current protections for transgender medical care. Further, Massachusetts passed legislation last year to strengthen current protections for this care, though it awaits the Governor’s signature. Similarly, New Jersey passed legislation to strengthen protections for transgender and reproductive medical care, and it now awaits the Governor’s signature. According to The Trevor Project’s 2025 National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, transgender and nonbinary youth who reported being unable to access hormones to support their gender transition or expression were nearly twice as likely to report a past-year suicide attempt compared to those who were currently taking hormones (15% vs 8%). Access to transgender medical care is critical to support the mental health of transgender and nonbinary young people nationwide, and these protections play an essential role in maintaining access to this care.
LGBTQ+ Crisis Competency
When the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) abruptly ended the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program, state advocates recognized the significant gap in care this created for LGBTQ+ young people. This year, Washington and New York passed state budgets that will ensure 988 crisis counselors receive cultural competency training to support LGBTQ+ young people in crisis. Following California’s lead, Illinois has also allocated funding for this crucial training.
Protections Against Conversion Therapy
The Trevor Project successfully passed legislation in Colorado with our partners at One Colorado to update the state’s conversion therapy law to align with the Chiles v. Salazar Supreme Court decision. The new law extends the statute of limitations for reporting harm from conversion therapy and serves as a powerful deterrent to prevent fringe practitioners from subjecting LGBTQ+ youth to these debunked practices. This law signals an important step forward to ensure survivors of conversion therapy have the time and space needed to seek accountability.
The Trevor Project is also working with Equality California to advance legislation in California to further protect LGBTQ+ young people from the harmful, discredited practice of conversion therapy, advancing historic legislation through the Senate and awaiting action in the Assembly. Similar legislation is currently being drafted in several states with the goal of shoring up civil pathways for accountability and justice across multiple states.
Welcoming Schools
Notable advancements were made this year to ensure schools are equipped to support the needs of LGBTQ+ students. Colorado enacted legislation that strengthens anti-discrimination measures in higher education, and Virginia enacted legislation that ensures educators complete mental health awareness training that addresses the needs of youth populations that are at a higher risk of experiencing mental health challenges, including LGBTQ+ young people.
The Trevor Project’s research shows that LGBTQ+ young people report significantly lower odds of attempting suicide in the past year when they feel that their teachers care about them, and proactive school policies play a key role in demonstrating this potentially life-saving support for LGBTQ+ students.
Anti-Discrimination
Several states passed proactive legislation that strengthens anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ young people.. Washington, Colorado, and Illinois all enacted legislation to improve identification privacy protections and inclusive practices for transgender residents. These protections include protecting minors who undergo changing their legal name, barring the unauthorized disclosure of sex designation information and historic sex designation changes in official government records, and clarifying procedures for an ‘X’ gender marker. A peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project found that transgender and nonbinary youth who had changed their official documents to match their gender identity reported significantly lower rates of attempting suicide (11%) compared to both those who were not able to change their official documents (24.5%), demonstrating the ongoing need to ensure the availability and safety of identity document changes nationwide.
Looking Ahead
The Trevor Project’s theme for this year’s Pride Month was “Always Here, Always Forward.” While June has come to a close, our efforts continue throughout all 12 months of the year. “Always Here, Always Forward” not only represents the LGBTQ+ communities’ fierce resiliency and dedication to creating a more welcoming world for all LGBTQ+ people, but also our commitment to advancing state laws that uphold the rights, dignity, and safety of LGBTQ+ young people – no matter what challenges come our way.
We will continue working with LGBTQ+ leaders, allies, advocates, and anyone who is invested in ensuring the health and safety of LGBTQ+ young people. Advancing policies that support LGBTQ+ youth, and defending against ones that harm them, is critical for preventing suicide and creating the world that LGBTQ+ young people deserve; a world in which they feel safe, supported, and seen exactly as they are.
