The bill, which prohibits doctors from providing best-practice medical care to transgender and nonbinary youth, is among the most extreme anti-trans bills in the nation
March 29, 2023 — The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ young people, condemns SB 150 – an omnibus anti-LGBTQ bill that, while vetoed by the governor, received an override to pass into law by both the Kentucky Senate and House. It aims to: ban doctors from providing age-appropriate medical care to transgender and nonbinary young people, including those who have already been receiving such care; ban trans students from using the bathrooms that match their gender identity at school; erase protections that prevent teachers from “outing” transgender and nonbinary students to their potentially unsupportive parents without their consent, permit misgendering students; and ban classroom instruction on LGBTQ topics in schools.
“This is one of the most extreme anti-transgender bills we’ve witnessed – even amid the historic wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation we’ve been fighting in states across the country over the last several years,” said Troy Stevenson (he/him pronouns), Director of State Advocacy Campaigns at The Trevor Project. “49% of LGBTQ young people in Kentucky, including 59% of those who are transgender or nonbinary, seriously considered suicide in the past year. Lawmakers should be prioritizing the ways in which they can support these young people, not isolating them further through legislation that tells them they don’t belong. We are infuriated to see lawmakers take the extra step to override the governor’s veto of this dangerous and unnecessary bill. For the young trans and nonbinary Kentuckians – The Trevor Project is here to support you 24/7; you deserve better.”
The Trevor Project’s 2022 U.S. National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health by State found that 59% of transgender and nonbinary youth in Kentucky seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 24% 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 those who have reported significantly higher rates of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who have not.
A statewide Mason-Dixon poll, released by the Fairness Campaign, found that 71% of registered Kentucky voters opposed Kentucky laws that would allow the state to overrule parents’ decisions to obtain certain healthcare for their transgender teenager, such as certain medications that can regulate the onset of puberty.
Additional research:
- Research has consistently found that transgender medical care is associated with positive mental health outcomes including showing promise for reducing suicide risk.
- A 2021 peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy was associated with nearly 40% lower odds of recent depression and of a past-year suicide attempt among transgender and nonbinary young people under age 18.
- Research shows that LGBTQ youth who have access to an LGBTQ-affirming school report significantly lower rates of attempting suicide than those who do not.
- Learning about LGBTQ people or issues has been associated with significantly lower odds (23%) of a past-year suicide attempt in LGBTQ students.
- 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
- 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.
