Regressive Policies Impact LGBTQ+ Kids’ Mental Health

Results of an annual survey released in at the end of the 2023-2024 school year by The Trevor Project indicate that the overwhelming majority (90 percent) of LGBTQ+ students say their mental health has been negatively impacted by recent anti-LGBTQ+ policies, up from 66 percent in 2023.

The “2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People” surveyed the experiences of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ people ages 13–24 across the U.S. on a range of mental health topics. Additional findings include:

• 84 percent of LGBTQ+ youth wanted mental health care, but half couldn’t access it.
• 39 percent of LGBTQ+ young people said they seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people. LGBTQ+ youth of color reported suicidal ideation at higher rates than their white peers.
• 12 percent of LGBTQ+ young people attempted suicide in the past year.
• More than half (54 percent) of transgender and nonbinary young people said their schools were gender-affirming; those districts reported lower rates of attempted suicide.
• 45 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people reported that they or their family have considered moving to a different state because of LGBTQ+-related politics and laws.
• Nearly half (49 percent) of LGBTQ+ young people ages 13–17 experienced bullying in the last year.

The survey asked LGBTQ+ youth to offer words of encouragement to others who might be experiencing mental health issues.

“The greatest act of rebellion is to go on living authentically and truthfully,” one respondent said. “Find spaces where you can be yourself unapologetically.”

Read the full report.