The numbers are staggering: 39% of young people who identify as LGBTQ+ seriously considered attempting suicide within the last year.
The data, from a May 2024 study by the Trevor Project, a crisis intervention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth, also shows that more than 1 in 10 (12%) actually attempted suicide. For transgender and nonbinary young people, it’s even worse – 46% report having considered suicide within the last year.
And only half of those who wanted mental health care were able to access it, the Trevor Project report said.
“There are unique challenges around stigma and persecution and lack of acceptance” for LGBTQ+ young people, said Adam Callahan, director of cross-functional planning for Vibrant Emotional Health.
“So one real reason to build this subnetwork is to give members of this community the safety of connecting with someone who understands what they’re experiencing, someone who won’t judge them. If they’re still closeted, in particular, you want someone who gets it and who starts with a baseline knowledge,” he said.
The implementation of a dedicated system of mental health care for LGBTQ+ people funded by the federal government is “a clear and direct sign there is care and concern around the needs of this community,” she said – a community that historically had to fight not just for recognition and respect, but also for equity in health care.
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