The Data: Why Affirming Care Matters
Mental health disparities in the LGBTQIA+ community are not a result of identity, but of the chronic stress caused by stigma, discrimination, and lack of access to resources. The data highlights the urgent need for accessible, culturally competent care.
41%
of LGBTQIA+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including roughly half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
(The Trevor Project, 2023)
60%
of LGBTQIA+ youth who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it due to cost, lack of access, or fear of non-affirming providers.
(The Trevor Project, 2023)
2.5x
Higher Risk. LGBTQIA+ adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition such as major depression or generalized anxiety disorder.
(NAMI, 2022)
Intersectional Disparities: Race & Ethnicity
Systemic racism combined with anti-LGBTQIA+ stigma creates unique mental health burdens for QTBIPOC (Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals. Recent data indicates the following rates of suicide attempts within the past year among LGBTQIA+ youth:
- Native/Indigenous: 22% reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
- Black/African American: 19% reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
- Multiracial: 17% reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
- Latinx/Hispanic: 16% reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
- Asian/Pacific Islander: 12% reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
- White: 12% reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
Source: The Trevor Project National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health (2022)
The Impact of Support
The data also shows that therapy works. Transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having access to gender-affirming mental health care reported significantly lower rates of attempting suicide than those who did not.