You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience and security.

Skip to main
Press

The Trevor Project Condemns Override of Veto on Anti-Trans Sports Ban by Indiana Lawmakers

BY: Trevor News
Tangerine Canary Gradient

83% of transgender and nonbinary youth said that they have worried about transgender people being denied the ability to play sports due to state or local laws

May 24, 2022 — The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, condemned the override of a veto for HB 1041 by the Indiana Legislature, which would restrict transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity. This bill makes Indiana the 8th state to ban trans youth from playing sports in 2022 by legislative action — and the 16th in the country.

“Governor Holcomb was the second governor this year to uphold the dignity of transgender and nonbinary youth, and veto an attempt by lawmakers to write them out of existence. While those young people continue to face unrelenting political attacks, the Indiana legislature voted to override his act of courage and compassion, pushing these marginalized youth even further to the sidelines,” said Sam Ames (they/them pronouns), Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. “This bill claimed to solve a problem of ‘fairness’ in school sports in Indiana that didn’t exist, but its negative impacts on the mental health and well-being of trans and nonbinary youth — young people who already face disproportionate rates of bullying, depression, and suicide — are very real. To the young people in Indiana watching tonight: you are stronger than they know. We are here for you, we will fight for you, and we are not going anywhere.”

The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that more than half (53%) of transgender and nonbinary youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, and nearly 1 in 5 attempted suicide. 71% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported that they have experienced discrimination based on their gender identity, and those who have reported signficantly higher rates of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who have not. Further, 83% of transgender and nonbinary youth said that they have worried about transgender people being denied the ability to play sports due to state or local laws.

According to a poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of The Trevor Project, 85% of transgender and nonbinary youth — and two-thirds of all LGBTQ youth (66%) — 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, 74% of transgender and nonbinary youth said it made them feel angry, 57% felt sad, 43% felt stressed, and nearly 1 in 3 felt scared.

However, research 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.

The Trevor Project’s research has also found that a majority of LGBTQ young people (68%) have never participated in sports for a school or community league or club — with many citing fear of bullying and discrimination as a key factor for not participating.

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. 

About The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifelineTrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the world’s largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide.

Read more from
Press

Tangerine Canary Gradient
Press

The Trevor Project Condemns IA House Committee for Passing Anti-Trans Sports Ban

85% of transgender and nonbinary youth say that recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health. February 14, 2022 — The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, condemned the Iowa House Education Committee for passing HF 2309, which would restrict transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity. “This bill is not about fairness in sports, nor has it even been. This is an effort to further isolate transgender youth in Iowa by lawmakers…
Violet Purple Gradient
Press

Momentum grows in Minnesota as Minneapolis acts to protect LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy.

Minneapolis has unanimously voted to pass (VERIFY) a new city ordinance protecting youth from conversion therapy, a dangerous and discredited practice claiming to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.  Advocates hope the ordinance will both end the use of conversion therapy on minors in the city and encourage state lawmakers to take action to end the practice statewide. “We are really trying to make sure that people are not being abused by harmful, quasi-therapeutic practices,” said one of the ordinance’s sponsors, Andrea Jenkins, vice president of the Minneapolis City Council and the first openly transgender black woman elected…