The Trevor Project released new data that outline just how much the larger social and political currents coursing through society today — from proposed discriminatory anti-trans legislation to the effects of racism to concerns over school safety and gun violence — are greatly affecting the mental health and overall well-being of LGBTQ+ youth.
Casey Pick, JD, senior fellow for Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project, told Healthline that she can’t say it’s surprising to see how things like the current “onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation” can affect an LGBTQ+ young person’s mental health.
But she said it is helpful to have data like this to quantify how it’s impacting youth across the country. By seeing this data and hearing from these young people themselves, it can offer a window into how best to serve LGBTQ+ youth and what more needs to be done in our society at large.
Among the findings, 85 percent of the transgender and nonbinary young people surveyed reported that the recent national debates around proposed state laws that target the rights of transgender people have “negatively impacted their mental health,” according to a press release from The Trevor Project. Additionally, 66 percent of all LGBTQ+ youth surveyed also reported that news of this anti-trans legislation had a negative impact on their overall mental health.
The survey also asked an open-ended question: “What social issue impacting our country/world is most important to you?”
Most youth surveyed — across race, ethnicity, and gender identity — declared racism was at the top of their list. This was followed by LGBTQ rights and equality, climate change, and homophobia. The Trevor Project reports that more than 65 percent of LGBTQ youth reported that police brutality, transphobia, gun violence, climate change, and “efforts to restrict abortion access” were also regular sources of anxiety and stress.
Read more at Healthline.com.
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