The mental health of LGBTQ youth is worsening in today’s political climate, according to the results of a national survey released Monday by The Trevor Project.
Nearly one in three LGBTQ youth surveyed said their mental health was poor most of the time or always because of legislation and policies targeting the LGBTQ community in US states. Nearly two in three LGBTQ youth said that “hearing about potential state or local laws that prohibit people from discussing LGBTQ people at school (aka ‘Don’t say gay’) made their health much worse mental”.
The nonprofit — which has been working since 1998 to “end LGBTQ youth suicide” — reported that 41 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered trying to kill themselves in the past year. However, 56 percent who wanted help were unable to find it, the survey found, indicating that access to mental health care is extremely limited for LGBTQ youth.
This is the fifth annual survey of The Trevor Project, but the first time in such a “hostile political climate when anti-LGBTQ legislation is at its peak this year,” said Ronita Nath, vice president of research at The Trevor Project.
Nath told CBS News that America’s LGBTQ youth “are facing a mental health crisis.”
Anti-LGBTQ legislation is “harmfully affecting their mental health,” forcing them to engage in “discussions about their existence that they don’t want to engage in in the first place,” Nath added.
There are currently 469 anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures across the country, according to a digital tracker maintained by the ACLU. According to the digital tracker, states like Texas, Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi have bills targeting the LGBTQ community currently making their way through their legislatures.
Javier Gomez, 19, a queer activist from Miami, Florida, told CBS News that his mental health had worsened by living in a state where lawmakers are trying to pass several anti-LGBTQ laws. Gomez said there were days when he and his teammates felt “useless and hopeless.”
She has considered moving, but says there are millions of “beautiful, queer, transgender and non-binary people living in Florida” and she wants to “fight for my beloved state and my home.”
“We need to start listening and listening to how these bills are affecting us,” Gomez said.
For trans youth, the stakes are even higher. Through 2023, at least 528 anti-trans bills have been introduced across the country, in accordance with Monitoring trans legislation, with 50 bills approved. On Friday, Montana converted one of at least 15 states ban or restrict gender-affirming medical care for trans youth.
Nearly half of trans youth considered suicide this year, the survey found. Among the small percentage of transgender and nonbinary youth who receive gender-affirming medical care, nearly two in three were worried about losing access to such care, the survey found.
Vic Gipson, non-profit group support specialist Stand with Transtold CBS News Legislation that the more states push to restrict access to care for trans youth, “the more their health deteriorates from reluctance to seek care.”
“Right now, young people need lawmakers to be with them, not against them,” Gipson said.
The Trevor Project surveyed 28,524 LGBTQ youth between the ages of 13 and 24 living in the United States. Of those surveyed, 85% said they paid attention to media reporting on LGBTQ rights.
In the final question of the survey, the Trevor Project asked respondents to describe what a world “where all LGBTQ people are accepted” would look like.
Some of the responses included ‘peaceful, ‘normal’, ‘happy’ and ‘they can be whoever they want to be’.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or suicidal, you can contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat online with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
For more information about resources and support for mental health care, you can contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. pm ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or by email. @nami.org.
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Cara Tabachnick
