This ban would be the second of its kind to be signed into law this year.
February 21, 2023 — The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, condemned the passage of HB1125 by the Mississippi Senate, a bill that would prohibit access to best-practice medical care to transgender and nonbinary youth.
“Transgender young people deserve to lead happy, healthy lives. And like all young people, they have the best chance to thrive when they’re supported and can get the care they need. This legislation would strip away access to medical care that is essential to the health and well-being of many young people across Mississippi,” said Cait Smith (they/them pronouns), Advocacy Campaigns Manager at The Trevor Project. “Decisions around medical care should rest with parents, patients, and doctors — not politicians. We strongly urge the governor of Mississippi to show compassion for trans young people and our families, and to veto this dangerous bill.”
The Trevor Project’s 2022 U.S. 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 significantly higher rates of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who have not.
However, research has also 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, the first large-scale study of more than 9,000 youth who received gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), found that GAHT was significantly related to lower rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth. Specifically for young people under age 18, receiving GAHT was associated with nearly 40% lower odds of recent depression and of a past-year suicide attempt.
According to 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 will ban doctors from providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender and nonbinary youth, 74% of transgender and nonbinary youth said it made them feel angry, 59% felt stressed, 56% felt sad, 48% felt hopeless, 47% felt scared, 46% felt helpless, and 45% felt nervous.
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.
