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Axios
11-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
Politics hamper young LGBTQ+ Michiganders' mental health
Despite some recent strides in LGBTQ+ acceptance in Michigan, mistreatment and stigma are still contributing to high anxiety and depression among young people, a new report finds. Why it matters: An estimated 6% of adult Michiganders identify as LGBTQ+, with higher counts for younger folks — 16% of those 18-24. Plus, the overall amount of queer and trans Americans who publicly identify themselves continues to rise. State of play: More than a third of young LGBTQ+ Michiganders seriously considered suicide in the last year. The figure is higher for transgender and nonbinary youth — 42%. That's according to new research from crisis intervention organization The Trevor Project, which surveyed more than 600 Michiganders ages 13-24 in fall 2023. By the numbers: Of Michigan's LGBTQ+ youth, 68% reported anxiety and 52% depression in the last year. More than 20% reported being physically harmed or threatened based on their identity. Nearly all of them said politics hurt their well-being a lot or sometimes. Nearly half of those who wanted mental health care didn't receive it, due to issues like fear and lack of affordability. Context: These mental health outcomes are "not innate to who LGBTQ+ people are," Ronita Nath, The Trevor Project's vice president of research, tells Axios. "Rather, they are ... because of the stigma and discrimination they experience in society, and research bears that out again and again." What they're saying: "There's a direct correlation of deadly consequences, particularly when you talk about trans youth," Equality Michigan executive director Erin Knott tells Axios, referencing President Trump's anti-trans actions. Zoom out: Trump made attacks on transgender people a focus of his 2024 campaign. In his first few weeks in office, Trump rolled out a flurry of executive orders radically reshaping trans people's rights in the U.S. Some Democrats are also publicly second-guessing the party's stances on transgender rights. Zoom in: Michigan passed a bill to protect LGBTQ+ people under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act in 2023 and elected its first out LGBTQ+ statewide officeholder, Attorney General Dana Nessel, in 2018. Yes, but: Michigan Republicans recently spoke out about no longer allowing transgender girls on girls sports teams. Lawmakers also sought to create penalties for parents who obtain gender-affirming care for their children. What's next: A state House Republican introduced a resolution calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality. At the same time, some Democrats are seeking to revoke Michigan's same-sex marriage ban to uphold marriage equality if it was removed at the federal level.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Anti-trans messaging has deepened despair among Wisconsin LGBTQ+ youth, new report finds
Ramped-up political rhetoric that denies the existence of transgender and gender nonbinary youths is having a toll on Wisconsin's LGBTQ+ youths, a new state survey from The Trevor Project says. The survey, which was published on March 5, asked LGBTQ+ youths aged 13 through 24 across the United States, including Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., to weigh in on their well-being, mental health risks, access to care, and challenges faced. It's among the first comprehensive reports to capture the impact of recent aggressive GOP campaigns that dismiss the experiences of trans and nonbinary youths. More than 18,000 LGBTQ+ youths across the country contributed to the national report called the 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People by State. The survey was conducted between September and December of 2023, amid waves of anti-trans ads that continued to dominate television, podcasts and mailers over the next year. By the end of 2023, Wisconsin had introduced 15 anti-LGBTQ+ laws, which Dr. Ronita Nath, vice president of research at the Trevor Project, said "can directly cause an increase in suicide attempts" among LGBTQ+ youths. Here are five things to know about the report. The report emphasizes that LGBTQ+ young people are not inherently prone to higher suicide risk as a result of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Instead, mental health risks stem from discrimination, mistreatment and stigma in society. That said, 39% of LGBTQ+ youths in Wisconsin seriously considered suicide at the end of 2023, including 44% of transgender and nonbinary youths. Another 12% of LGBTQ+ youths attempted suicide, with 12% of those being transgender and nonbinary youths. These percentage are far less for cisgender, heterosexual high school-aged students, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey report conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The most recent survey found that 12% of heterosexual students considered suicide and 6% attempted suicide. Although 53% of LGBTQ+ youths in Wisconsin wanted and received mental health care, another 47% who wanted care did not receive it, according to The Trevor Project survey. The top five reasons youths were unable to receive it broke down in the following way: "I was afraid to talk about my mental health concerns with someone else": 44% "I could not afford it": 34% "I did not want to have to get my parent's/caregiver's permission": 33% "I was afraid I wouldn't be taken seriously": 32% "I was scared someone would call the police or involuntarily hospitalize me": 29% When LGBTQ+ youths experience anti-LGBTQ+ victimization, which includes being physically threatened or harmed, discriminated against or forced into conversion therapy, they report significantly higher rates of attempting suicide, according to the report. That victimization can ripple from political messaging. About 90% of LGBTQ+ youths said recent political rhetoric negatively impacted their well-being, with 53% saying it impacted them "a lot" and 38% saying it impacted them "sometimes." To that end, 72% of LGBTQ+ youths between 13 and 17 said they've endured bullying; 41% aged 18 to 24 were bullied. A quarter of all LGBTQ+ youths in Wisconsin were physically harmed or threatened with physical harm based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in 2024. Additionally, 61% of LGBTQ+ youths say they've experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The survey showed that the political rhetoric has led to 40% of LGBTQ+ youths or their family, including 45% of trans and nonbinary youths or their families, considering leaving Wisconsin due to LGBTQ-related politics and laws. About 10% of LGBTQ+ youths are either threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy. Conversion therapy, purported to alter same-sex attractions or an individual's gender expression, is a harmful form of intervention recognized by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Wisconsin has partial laws on the books banning conversion therapy. It's also banned in 14 cities, including Milwaukee, Madison, Eau Claire and Superior, according to Movement Advancement Placement, which tracks LGBTQ-related laws and policies across the United States. When LGBTQ+ youths live in affirming and supportive spaces and communities, they experience lower rates of suicide, Nath from the Trevor Project said. Increasingly, that looks more like finding "chosen" families for support instead of traditional family structures. A vast majority of LGBTQ+ youths in Wisconsin, at 71%, said in 2024 their family only supported them at a low or moderate amount. For 76% of trans and nonbinary youths, low or moderate support has been their experience in 2024. By contrast, young people have felt high levels of support from friends in 2024, at 72% for LGBTQ+ youths and 75% among trans and nonbinary youths. To better show support and acceptance, LGBTQ+ youths reported these actions: "Trusting that I know who I am": 87% "Standing up for me": 81% "Not supporting politicians that advocate for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation": 76% "Respecting my pronouns": 63% "Looking up things about LGBTQ+ identities on their own to better understand": 62% "People know who they are. If you are able to trust that, you can really uplift them," Nath said. "Something that might seem small to you ― creating an accepting environment ― can make a world of difference to a young person." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Report shows about half of trans youths considered suicide last year
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kansas lawmakers are killing gay kids. And they expect us to be polite about it.
A participant in the March 31, 2023, March for Queer and Trans Youth Autonomy at the Kansas Statehouse holds a sign that reads: "Make no mistake, they are killing us." The demonstration was a response to legislative attacks on the LGBTQ community, including the ban on transgender athletes. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) When the Trevor Project — the national suicide prevention organization for queer youths — reached out offering an advance look at their state-by-state survey of LGBTQ+ kids' mental health, I thought I knew what to expect. The Kansas results were so much more alarming than I expected: 39% 'seriously considered suicide in the past year, including 40% of transgender and nonbinary young people.' 15% actually attempted it. 65% 'reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety, including 68% of transgender and nonbinary young people.' 49% had symptoms of depression. 46% said they wanted to access mental health care but didn't receive it. 28% 'were physically threatened or harmed based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year.' 63% faced discrimination. Most importantly for this column, 53% said 'recent politics negatively impacted their well-being' by a significant amount, with 47% considering leaving the state. LGBTQ+ kids don't face these challenges because they're gay. They're the same as anyone else. They face these challenges because of discrimination and stigma. This basic fact has been accepted since 1973, when the American Psychiatric Association took homosexuality off its list of mental disorders. The Trevor Project's report shows over and over, in state after state, that lawmakers advocating discrimination have a direct, negative effect on children's mental health. I've written about the subject an awful lot over the past 3½ years. It's time to drop any flowery language and state the truth: Lawmakers are killing gay kids. That's my take. Ronita Nath, vice president of research at the Trevor Project, had a more restrained but forceful perspective when we spoke Wednesday. 'Policy environment matters,' she told me. 'So broadly speaking, LGBTQ+ youth living in states with more protective and inclusive policies reported lower rates of suicidal thoughts, attempts and barriers to care than those living in states with more restrictive or hostile policies.' Who would have thought? Kansans need to understand this. While we should remain committed to having robust public debates about important issues, no one should defend arguments over the basic humanity of our children. You need only listen to the more than 18,000 young people ages 13-24 surveyed, of whom 192 were from Kansas. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call or text 988 or visit Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HOME to 741741. It is free, available 24/7 and confidential. In the aftermath of the 2024 election, those from the center and left have debated whether Kamala Harris paid a price for going too far left on social issues. Most often, that's shorthand for saying that Democrats should have thrown LGBTQ+ people and their rights under the bus. I'm sorry, but any sort of political movement that treats children as dispensable needs to rethink its priorities. Emphasize or minimize whatever you want. But don't make common cause with those who harm our children. The epitome of this candy-coated, scorched-earth approach could be seen in Rep. Susan Estes, R-Wichita, chairwoman of the House Education Committee. On Tuesday, she repeatedly admonished those testifying about a bill restricting use of students' preferred pronouns. In her committee, she said, people 'maintain a good tone,' smile, and 'never make anything personal.' The crowd needed to refrain from showing any emotion. In the Kansas Statehouse, you see, the gay people need to worry about hurting straight people's feelings. Not the other way round. Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ youths face barriers that lawmakers could lower, if they cared. That's right: Kansas politicians could actually improve the lives of young people and strengthen the state they claim to care about. In Kansas, 'close to 50% of young people are not able to get the mental health care they wanted,' Nath said. 'And then when young people list the top barriers to getting that care, you'll see it's a combination of both tangible and intangible barriers. So for Kansas, the No. 1 barrier is they couldn't afford it, which is a very tangible barrier. But then the rest is their intangible barriers, right? They're afraid to talk about their mental health care concerns with someone else. They were afraid they wouldn't be taken seriously. They did not want to have to get their parent or caregiver permission. They didn't want to look weak.' Politicians could make mental health care more accessible and available through expanding Medicaid or funding extra counseling services for schools. They could add funding to community mental health centers. These problems could be solved. Instead, legislators have banned gender-affirming care and plan to police pronoun use. The report does offer glimmers of hope. Looking through the findings for Kansas, I noticed an opportunity that many of us could and should take. Only 44% of queer youths said that their homes were affirming spaces where they could be themselves. That still comes in ahead of school. And 65% identified their communities as accepting of LGBTQ+ people. The best way to do that? More than 90% said it would be 'trusting that I know who I am.' So that's your job, Kansans. Make sure you trust the gay kids in your life. Make sure your homes and communities accept those kids, whether they're in your family or not. Show that love that Kansas legislators can't bring themselves to express. Save the precious lives that they refuse to. Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
Axios
05-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
Recent politics shake up mental health landscape for California's LGBTQ+ youth
Despite California's perceived status as a safe haven, LGBTQ+ young people in the state continue to face barriers to mental health care and fear police and involuntary hospitalization, a new study shows. The big picture: The San Francisco metro area is home to the highest concentration of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S., per 2021 Williams Institute estimates. More LGBTQ+ people have also moved to San Francisco in recent years after fleeing states with restrictive policies, local LGBTQ-serving groups have told Axios. In San Diego County, about 1 in 6 teenage students identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer, and 2.3% identify as transgender, per the latest estimates. By the numbers: 35% of LGBTQ+ young people in California, including 39% of transgender and nonbinary youth, seriously considered suicide in the past year. Both figures are slightly lower than the nationwide statistics. That's according to new research from The Trevor Project, an organization that runs crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ people under 25. 11% attempted suicide in the past year, including 14% of trans and nonbinary youth, compared with 12% for both groups nationally. The fine print: The Trevor Project surveyed 1,801 Californians ages 13-24. Though The Trevor Project released a similar report in 2022, researchers declined to draw direct comparisons due to methodology changes. Between the lines: Despite living in a state with stronger civil rights protections, LGBTQ+ people in California aren't isolated from what's happening across America. The Bay Area's LGBTQ+ community has increasingly armored up in a bid to fight federal policies attacking their rights as the Trump administration attempts to combat what it calls "gender ideology extremism." Statewide, 88% of LGBTQ+ young people surveyed by The Trevor Project reported that recent politics negatively impacted their well-being. 53% of those ages 13-17 said they were bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. At the same time, 52% of LGBTQ+ youth in California experienced symptoms of depression in the past year — on par with red states such as South Carolina and South Dakota. Friction point: 50% of LGBTQ+ young people in California wanted access to mental health care but did not receive it. The top five reasons were: fear of discussing mental health concerns with someone else, not wanting to get their caregiver's permission, lack of affordability, fear of not being taken seriously and fear that someone would call the police or involuntarily hospitalize them. Zoom in: "Most people usually think of tangible barriers to accessing care, like transportation," Ronita Nath, The Trevor Project's vice president of research, told Axios. "But there's a slew of intangible barriers," primarily concerns over being mistreated. That last one also raises questions about what involuntary hospitalizations are associated with in California and what happens behind closed doors, she noted. Yes, but: California had one of the highest reported rates of affirming home environments, with 81% of LGBTQ+ young people saying their community is accepting of people like them. Affirming spaces, supportive communities and inclusive policies are "universally associated with lower rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts, as well as lower rates of anxiety and depression," Nath said. What they're saying: These mental health outcomes are "not innate to who LGBTQ+ people are," Nath told Axios. "Rather, they are ... because of the stigma and discrimination they experience in society, and research bears that out again and again." As a result, schools will remain on "the front lines," Nath added, noting that her trans son can't just sever his mental health from his consciousness when he's in class. Schools "definitely need to have the adequate tools and strategies in place to support LGBTQ+ young people, and our government and school officials must respond to this public health crisis with comprehensive suicide prevention strategies that are tailored to meet their needs." Zoom in: In San Diego, community centers in Hillcrest and Chula Vista provide safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth with social meet-ups, programs for navigating gender-affirming care, crisis support, emergency housing and other services. Our Safe Place has drop-in centers and mental health clinics around the county for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.
