More than half of transgender, nonbinary youth in U.S. ‘seriously considered’ suicide in past 12 months: study
More than half of transgender and nonbinary youth in the U.S. have “seriously considered” taking their own lives in the past 12 moths, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The groundbreaking study, which represents the experiences of more than 40,000 LGBTQ youth in the U.S., also found that 40% of them have considered suicide in the past 12 months.
The sobering statistics were released by the Trevor Project, an organization that fights to save the lives of LGBTQ youth by suicide prevention and crisis management, as part of its second annual National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health.
“For years, suicide has been the second leading cause of death among young people in the U.S., but we still do not fully grasp the disproportionate impact it has on LGBTQ young people because of insufficient national data collection,” Amit Paley, the organization’s CEO and executive director, said in a statement shared with the Daily News.
“This survey — the largest-ever conducted on LGBTQ youth mental health — provides critical insights into the lives of LGBTQ youth and risk factors for suicide,” he added.
According to the organization, the research demonstrates the dire need for immediate action at the local, state and federal level. It also highlights the importance of LGBTQ-inclusive practices around the country, by legislators, policy makers and community leaders.
Youth who experience the practice of so-called “conversion therapy,” for example, were shown to attempt suicide at more than twice the rate of those who hadn’t, according to the survey. And yet, 30 U.S. states still don’t have any laws protecting minors from the dangers of the debunked practice.
Changes as simple as using a person’s preferred pronoun or giving them access to gender-affirming clothing can amount to a drastic reduction in the suicide rate, the data showed.
Only one in five transgender and nonbinary youth reported having their pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives (12% of respondents). Suicide attempts among them were half the rate of those whose pronouns were not respected by anyone (28%).
Around 14% of trans and nonbinary youth who had access to clothes that can help shape their bodies to their gender identity attempted to take their own lives. That rate was nearly twice as high for those who had no access to gender-affirming clothing (26%).
“We strongly urge public health officials and policymakers to make significant investments in mental health research and support programs that take an intersectional approach to meet the unique needs of diverse communities across the country,” said Paley, who noted that the approach needs to be tailored to individuals, and not every solution is going to work the same way for everybody.
Dr. Amy Green, the organization’s director of research, said that the study is an “essential resource” to highlight the needs of the LGBTQ youth community and to “inform our collective response to better support these youth.”
Findings also underscore an alarming level of discrimination faced by LGBTQ youth: one in three respondents said they’d been “physically threatened or harmed” during their lifetime because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Equally disconcerting was homelessness experienced by LGBTQ youth: 29% of them reported being kicked out or having run away. More than half of transgender and nonbinary youth said that the reason they were kicked out or ran away was because of their LGBTQ identity.
On a more hopeful note, the research found that when LGBTQ youth support systems are enacted — such as LGBTQ-affirming environments or the right use of pronouns — there are “significantly lower rates” of suicide attempt.
“LGBTQ youth are incredibly resilient and face a unique set of challenges every day simply because of who they are,” Paley said. “By expanding systematic data collection to understand these challenges, we can better identify and implement effective systems of care and policies that will improve mental health and ultimately save lives.
The survey was conducted using an online platform between Dec. 2, 2019 and March 31, 2020 among more than 40,000 respondents aged 13-24 who live in the U.S.
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