Soaring suicide rates in USA due to censorship laws
14 August 2023 - The Trevor Project released it’s 2023 survey report on suicide among LGBTQ youth in the USA and the findings are horrible. 41% of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. These rates were much higher among transgender, nonbinary, and among people of color. 56% who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. Almost 2 in 3 LGBTQ young people said that hearing about new laws banning people from discussing sexual and gender diversity at school made their mental health a lot worse.
School unsafe
The survey asked question to more than 28,000 young LGBTQ (aged 13-24) people across the USA. 14% of LGBTQ young people attempted suicide in the past year including nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary young people and nearly 1 in 10 cisgender LGB young people.
Roughly half of transgender and nonbinary young people found their school to be gender-affirming. In gender-affirming schools they reported lower rates of attempting suicide. A majority of LGBTQ young people reported being verbally harassed at school because people thought they were LGBTQ. Transgender and nonbinary young people who reported that all of the people they live with respect their pronouns reported lower rates of attempting suicide.
Imagining a better world
24% of LGBTQ young people reported that they have been physically threatened or harmed in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. 60% of LGBTQ young people reported that they have felt discriminated against in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
LGTTQ youth were asked how they imagined a better world to live in. They mentioned things like:
- Basic human rights
- To be able to be who your are
- To be able to express yourself
- Gender neutral bathrooms
- People ask pronouns
- People mind their own business
- People are kinder