2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People
Published May 6, 2026
Introduction
The Trevor Project’s 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People amplifies the experiences of more than 16,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States.
For the seventh year, the U.S. National Survey found that LGBTQ+ young people are too often placed at higher risk for suicide not because of who they are, but as a result of how they are mistreated and stigmatized. This year, anti-LGBTQ+ victimization, policies and rhetoric contributed meaningfully to the rates of poor mental health and suicide risk observed among the LGBTQ+ young people who took this survey.
Our findings offer evidence-based ways to show support for LGBTQ+ young people – and do our part to help address the urgent public health crisis of suicide among this high-risk population.
Similar to previous research, these findings confirm that creating spaces and communities where LGBTQ+ young people feel welcome and accepted serve as powerful interventions that can lower their odds of considering and attempting suicide significantly.
As always, The Trevor Project remains committed to our mission of ending suicide among LGBTQ+ young people, and we will continue working toward a world where all LGBTQ+ young people see a bright future for themselves.
Thank you to each and every LGBTQ+ young person who took our survey, honestly and bravely sharing your experiences with us. We hope this year’s survey will equip fellow researchers, policymakers, educators, and other youth-serving professionals and organizations to support the LGBTQ+ young people in their own communities, and in every corner of the country.
Similar to previous research, these findings confirm that creating spaces and communities where LGBTQ+ young people feel welcome and accepted serve as powerful interventions that can lower their odds of considering and attempting suicide significantly.
As always, The Trevor Project remains committed to our mission of ending suicide among LGBTQ+ young people, and we will continue working toward a world where all LGBTQ+ young people see a bright future for themselves.
Thank you to each and every LGBTQ+ young person who took our survey, honestly and bravely sharing your experiences with us. We hope this year’s survey will equip fellow researchers, policymakers, educators, and other youth-serving professionals and organizations to support the LGBTQ+ young people in their own communities, and in every corner of the country.
- The Trevor Project
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Your donation helps to support future, meaningful research about LGBTQ+ youth and power the life-saving services we provide.
Key Findings
36% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including 40% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
1 in 10 LGBTQ+ young people attempted suicide in the past year.
44% of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
90% of LGBTQ+ young people said recent anti-LGBTQ+ laws, policies and debates caused them stress or anxiety.
LGBTQ+ young people of color attempted suicide at higher rates than their White peers, and nearly a third (32%) experienced racial or ethnic discrimination.
Transgender and nonbinary young people who were unable to access the hormones they wanted were nearly twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who could.
Over half (59%) of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 experienced bullying in the past year, and those who did reported significantly higher rates of attempting suicide in the past year than their peers.
LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than a third of the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities.
Mental Health & Suicide Risk
LGBTQ+ young people are not inherently prone to higher suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Rather, they are placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society.
Suicide Risk
36% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year
including 4 in 10 transgender and nonbinary young people (40%) and over a quarter of cisgender young people (26%).
10% of LGBTQ+ young people attempted suicide in the past year
including 11% of transgender and nonbinary young people and 8% of cisgender young people.
Rates of considered and attempted suicide among LGBTQ+ young people
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8%
of White young people attempted suicide in the past year
compared to…
19%
of Black / African American young people
19%
of Middle Eastern / Northern African young people
16%
of Native / Indigenous young people
12%
of Hispanic / Latinx young people
12%
of multiracial young people
11%
of Asian American / Pacific Islander young people.
Anxiety & Depression
62% of LGBTQ+ young people reported experiencing recent symptoms of anxiety
including 65% of transgender and nonbinary young people and over half of cisgender young people (52%).
47% of LGBTQ+ young people reported experiencing recent symptoms of depression
including over half of transgender and nonbinary young people (51%) and over a third of cisgender young people (39%).
Anxiety & depression symptoms reported among LGBTQ+ young people
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*There was no significant difference in anxiety symptoms among LGBTQ+ young people across age groups.
Access to Care
Despite the high rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts and attempts among LGBTQ+ young people, nearly half of them (44%) were not able to access the mental health care they desired. And among the small percentage of transgender and nonbinary young people who said they used hormones to support their gender transition or expression, more than 4 in 5 (87%) were concerned about losing access to this care.
Mental Health Care
84% of all LGBTQ+ young people
wanted mental health care.
44% of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it
including more than 4 in 10 transgender and nonbinary young people (43%) and nearly half of cisgender young people (49%).
Among the 60% of LGBTQ+ young people who received psychological or emotional counseling in the past 12 months
in-person one-on-one therapy (59%) and virtual or online therapy (52%) were the most common forms.
Desire for and access to mental health care in the past year:
Desire for mental health care
Access to mental health care
Ways in which LGBTQ+ young people received psychological or emotional counseling in the past year:
Access to mental health care
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LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care but were unable to get it cited the following top ten reasons:
Medical Care
The Trevor Project is not a medical care provider and does not provide medical advice. However, research indicates that health care access can play a significant role in the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ young people – and for transgender and nonbinary youth in particular.
43% of LGBTQ+ young people with a primary health care provider had not disclosed their LGBTQ+ identity to them
including 38% of transgender and nonbinary young people and 57% of cisgender young people.
More than half (56%) of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 had not disclosed their LGBTQ+ identity to their primary health care provider
as well as over a third (36%) of those ages 18-24.
Among transgender and nonbinary young people, 10% of those ages 13-17 and 44% of those ages 18-24 reported taking hormones to support their gender transition or expression. 3% reported taking puberty blockers.
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%).
75% of transgender and nonbinary young people who reported having access to this type of care also said they experienced some or many difficulties in accessing it:
60% reported Insurance coverage issues, 57% reported long wait times for appointments, 52% reported a lack of knowledgeable healthcare providers in their area.
87% of transgender and nonbinary young people who used hormones to support their gender transition or expression were somewhat or very concerned about losing access to this care.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws & Policies
Many anti-LGBTQ+ laws and policies have been introduced and implemented in the last year across the United States. These policies, and the rhetoric associated with them, negatively impact the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people.
When asked about how recent LGBTQ+-related policies, laws, and debates affected them:
90% of LGBTQ+ young people said that it caused them stress or anxiety
including 94% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
Nearly 8 in 10 LGBTQ+ young people (78%) said it made them feel unsafe
including 86% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
More than 7 in 10 LGBTQ+ young people (76%) said it negatively impacted their mental health
including 83% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
Nearly one-third (32%) of LGBTQ+ young people said it made them or their family consider moving to a different state
including 38% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
Nearly a quarter (23%) of LGBTQ+ young people said it made them feel unsafe going to a doctor or hospital
including 29% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
When asked about language heard or seen related to their LGBTQ+ identity in the past 12 months:
More than 8 in 10 LGBTQ+ young people (83%) said they noticed harmful rhetoric around LGBTQ+ people
including 86% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
More than 7 in 10 LGBTQ+ young people (72%) said they encountered derogatory terms or expressions about their identity
including 76% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) LGBTQ+ young people heard language that made them feel unsafe or unwelcome
including 74% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
Conversely, nearly 8 in 10 LGBTQ+ young people (78%) also said they had heard supportive language about their identity
including 81% of transgender and nonbinary young people.
Anti-LGBTQ+ Victimization
Many LGBTQ+ young people reported experiencing anti-LGBTQ+ victimization, or acts of violence, discrimination, or harassment based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, in the past year.
Experiences of anti-LGBTQ+ victimization were associated with higher suicide risk. In particular, LGBTQ+ youth who reported being subjected to conversion therapy, bullied, or physically threatened or harmed or discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity were more than three times as likely to attempt suicide in the past year, compared to their peers who did not report any of these experiences of anti-LGBTQ+ victimization.
Experiences at School
Among those enrolled, LGBTQ+ young people reported these experiences happened to them in the past year while in school:
Physical Harm
21% of LGBTQ+ young people reported that they had been physically threatened or harmed in the past year due to either their sexual orientation or gender identity.
12% of LGBTQ+ young people reported that they had been physically threatened or harmed in the past year due to their sexual orientation.
23% of transgender and nonbinary young people reported that they had been physically threatened or harmed in the past year due to their gender identity.
Rates of LGBTQ+ young people who have been physically threatened or harmed in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity:
Rates of LGBTQ+ young people who have been physically threatened or harmed in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity:
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LGBTQ+ young people who attempted suicide in the past year, comparison across those who:
Discrimination
Nearly half (46%) of all LGBTQ+ young people reported that they experienced discrimination in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
29% of LGBTQ+ young people reported they experienced discrimination in the past year due to their sexual orientation.
48% of transgender and nonbinary young people reported they experienced discrimination in the past year due to their gender identity.
32% of LGBTQ+ young people of color reported they experienced discrimination in the past year due to their race, ethnicity, or national origin.
Rates of LGBTQ+ young people who experienced discrimination in the past year:
Rates of LGBTQ+ young people who experienced discrimination in the past year
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*There was no significant difference in discrimination due to race, ethnicity, or national origin among LGBTQ+ young people of color across age groups.
LGBTQ+ young people who attempted suicide in the past year, comparison across those who experienced discrimination in the past year:
Conversion Therapy
LGBTQ+ young people who reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy:
15% of LGBTQ+ young people reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy,
including nearly 1 in 6 transgender and nonbinary young people (16%) and more than 1 in 10 cisgender young people (12%).
Rates of being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy among LGBTQ+ young people
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LGBTQ+ young people who attempted suicide in the past year, comparison across those who:
Bullying
48% of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 reported being bullied in-person within the past year
and 25% of those ages 18-24 reported the same.
36% of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-17 reported that they had been bullied online during the past year
and 28% of those ages 18-24 reported the same.
LGBTQ+ young people who experienced bullying of any kind reported more than three times the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who were not bullied.
LGBTQ+ young people who attempted suicide in the past year, comparison across those who:
Ways to Support LGBTQ+ Young People
LGBTQ+ young people report lower rates of attempting suicide when they have access to supportive spaces and communities. They also voiced a need for the people in their lives to better accept and support their identities, and to advocate for them.
LGBTQ+ young people who had access to spaces that supported their LGBTQ+ identity reported lower rates of attempting suicide compared to those who did not.
Transgender and nonbinary young people who had access to clothing that supported their gender, gender-neutral bathrooms at school, and had their pronouns respected by the people they live with had lower rates of attempting suicide compared to those who did not.
LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at nearly a third of the rate (6%) of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities (18%).
Most LGBTQ+ young people who attend school (85%) reported having at least one adult at school who is supportive and affirming of their LGBTQ+ identity.
LGBTQ+ young people reported the following top ten actions as ways people in their life can best show their support and acceptance:
Access to Supportive Spaces and Communities
Supportive spaces identified by LGBTQ+ young people:
Supportive spaces identified by transgender and nonbinary young people:
LGBTQ+ young people who attempted suicide in the past year, comparison across access to LGBTQ+-supportive spaces:
*There was no significant difference in the suicide attempt rate among LGBTQ+ young people who had access to LGBTQ+-supportive online spaces compared to those who did not.
Transgender and nonbinary young people who attempted suicide in the past year, comparison across access to gender-supportive spaces:
*There was no significant difference in the suicide attempt rate among transgender and nonbinary young people who had access to gender-supportive online spaces and worship spaces compared to those who did not.
How accepting of LGBTQ+ people is the community where you currently live?
LGBTQ+ young people who attempted suicide in the past year,
comparison across access to how accepting of LGBTQ+ people are in their communities:
Supporting Transgender and Nonbinary Young People
Transgender and nonbinary young people reported lower rates of attempting suicide when the people they live with respected their pronouns, when they had access to a gender-neutral bathroom at school, and when they had access to binders, shapewear, and other gender-supportive clothing.*
How many of the people you live with respect your pronouns?
Transgender and nonbinary young people who attempted suicide in the past year, comparison by how many of the people they live with respect their pronouns
*Binders, shapewear, and other gender-supportive clothing refer to undergarments, such as tank tops or bodysuits, that help young people who are experiencing gender dysphoria align the appearance of their body with their gender identity.
Is there a gender neutral bathroom at your school?
Transgender and nonbinary young people who attempted suicide in the past year, comparison across having a gender-neutral bathroom at their school:
Transgender and nonbinary young people who had access to binders, shapewear, and other gender-supportive clothing reported lower rates of suicide attempts than those who did not.
Passing the Microphone to LGBTQ+ Young People
In addition to our quantitative survey results, we asked LGBTQ+ young people to share their responses to two questions:
1) “What kinds of support or resources would be most helpful for you as an LGBTQ+ young person?”
2) “What do you wish you could say to someone who says that they don’t understand what it means to be transgender or nonbinary?”
Here’s some of what they told us:
What kinds of support and resources would be most helpful for you as an LGBTQ+ young person?
What do you wish you could say to someone who says that they don’t understand what it means to be transgender or nonbinary?
Methodology
The content and methodology for The Trevor Project’s 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People were approved by an independent Institutional Review Board.
A quantitative cross-sectional design was used to collect data through an online survey platform between March 4 and October 15, 2025. A sample of individuals ages 13 to 24 who resided in the United States, including its territories was recruited via 1) targeted ads on social media, 2) posts from various LGBTQ+ “influencers”, 3) various state and national organizations and listservs that serve LGBTQ+ young people, and 4) The Trevor Project’s direct outreach through press, e-mail, social media platforms, conferences, and TrevorSpace. Respondents were defined as being LGBTQ+ if they identified with a sexual orientation other than straight/heterosexual, a gender identity other than cisgender, or both. In order to ensure a diverse sample, targeted recruitment was conducted to ensure adequate sample sizes with respect to geography, gender identity, and race/ethnicity. Qualified respondents completed a secure online questionnaire that included a maximum of 171 questions. The questionnaire was offered in English and Spanish. Questions on considering and attempting suicide in the past year were taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey to allow for comparisons to their nationally representative sample. Each question related to mental health and suicide was preceded by a message stating, “If at any time you need to talk to someone about your mental health or thoughts of suicide, please call The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or 988.”
A total of 43,995 individuals began the survey. However, 2,911 did not provide consent to continue and 5,065 did not pass demographic screening requirements (e.g., age, United States residency, being LGBTQ+). This resulted in an eligible sample of 36,019 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 in the U.S. Of those, 17,646 did not pass a required validity check, which included spending at least 5 minutes on the survey. Another 1,377 were removed due to failing the age verification (i.e., age and birth year mismatch) and an additional validity check at 65% of the way through the survey. Finally, 329 were removed due to being identified as a bot, duplicate, or dishonest responder. This resulted in a final analytic sample of 16,667 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 in the U.S.
Chi-square tests were used to examine differences between groups. Unless otherwise noted, all reported differences are statistically significant at p<0.05, meaning documented differences would be expected less than 5% of the time if there were no true difference in the population (i.e., under the null hypothesis). Some donut charts may not add up to 100 percent because of rounding.
This report uses “transgender and nonbinary” (TGNB) as an umbrella term to encompass non-cisgender young people, which includes young people who identify as transgender and nonbinary as well as other labels outside of the cisgender binary, including genderqueer, agender, genderfluid, gender questioning, gender neutral, bigender, androgynous, and gender non-conforming, among others.
Comparability
In order to better understand how our sample compares to a national probabilistic sample, we included questions regarding considering and attempting suicide that were identical to those used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their most recently available high school Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conducted in 2023.
Analyses were conducted to compare rates of seriously considering suicide and attempting suicide in the past 12 months. We compared cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning young people ages 13-18 in our sample (n = 2,160) to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning young people in the 2023 high school YRBS (n = 4,346).¹ The rates of considering and attempting suicide in the past year for this subsample were 32% and 9%, respectively, compared to YRBS rates of 41% and 20%.²
We also compared transgender young people ages 13-18 in our sample (n = 2,477) to transgender young people in the 2023 high school YRBS (n = 612).³ The rates of considering and attempting suicide in the past year for this subsample were 49% and 16%, respectively, compared to the YRBS rates of 53% and 26%.
1. Brener, N. D., Mpofu, J. J., Krause, K. H., Jones, S. E., Thornton, J. E., Myles, Z., Harris, W. A., Chyen, D., Lim, C., Arrey, L., Mbaka, C. K., Trujillo, L., Shanklin, S. L., Smith-Grant, J., Whittle, L., McKinnon, I. I., Washington, M., Queen, B. E., & Roberts, A. M. (2024). Overview and methods for the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System — United States, 2023. MMWR Supplements, 73(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7304a1
2. Verlenden, J. V., Fodeman, A., Wilkins, N., Jones, S. E., Moore, S., Cornett, K., Sims, V., Saelee, R., & Brener, N. D. (2024). Mental Health and Suicide Risk Among High School Students and Protective Factors — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. MMWR Supplements, 73(4), 79–86. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7304a9
3. Suarez, N. A., Trujillo, L., McKinnon, I. I., Mack, K. A., Lyons, B., Robin, L., Carman-McClanahan, M., Pampati, S., Cezair, K. L. R., & Ethier, K. A. (2024). Disparities in School Connectedness, Unstable Housing, Experiences of Violence, Mental Health, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Transgender and Cisgender High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2023. MMWR Supplements, 73(4), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7304a6
Sample Breakdown of Respondents’ Demographics
By age
By sexual orientation
By gender identity
By race/ethnicity
By intersex
By socioeconomic status
By region
By urbanicity
Acknowledgements:
The Trevor Project’s Research team is deeply grateful to the LGBTQ+ young people who participated in this survey and generously shared their experiences and insights. This research would not have been possible without their voices. We also sincerely thank the following individuals for their invaluable contributions to this work, including recruitment, research review, and website and PDF development: Igor Avilés, Jackson Budinger, Mani Cavalieri, Marissa Cohnen, Jessy de Armas, Gabby Doyle, Zach Eisenstein, Megan Ford, Darby Gannon, Sam Henderson, Mark Henson, Fiona Hilton, Lauren Holz, Leah Juliett, Briana King-Kudhlande, Tommy Marzella, Keygan Miller, Tanner Mobley, Paul Pham, Casey Pick, Alfredo Pizana, Nolan Scott, Taylor Shifflett, Kyle Teller, Saurav Thapa, Greg Thomas, Kasy Vasco, Namratha Vemuri, Kevin Wong, Janson Wu, and William Young.
Suggested citation:
Nath, R., Matthews, D.D., Hobaica, S., DeChants, J.P., Eden, T.M., Taylor, A.B., & Suffredini, K. (2026). 2025 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. West Hollywood, California: The Trevor Project. https://doi.org/10.70226/EKGT3197
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