Saving Lives: The Crucial Importance of Supporting LGBTQ+ Students
Shelby KretzShare
As we come to the end of National Suicide Prevention Month and National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, it is important to draw attention to the harrowing statistics surrounding LGBTQ+ youth.
Youth Suicide
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24, which is all the more devastating because it so often could be preventable.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24, which is all the more devastating because it so often could be preventable.
Suicide rates are even higher for LGBTQ+ youth.
Consider:
- LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers.
- 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
And for LGBTQ+ youth of color, it gets worse.
- In a study of 34,000 LGBTQ youth done by the Trevor Project, 12% of white youth attempted suicide compared to 21% of Native/Indigenous youth, 20% of Middle Eastern/Northern African youth, 19% of Black youth, 17% of multiracial youth, 16% of Latinx youth, and 12% of Asian/Pacific Islander youth.
- Across race/ethnicity, Native/Indigenous youth who are Two-Spirit/LGBTQ consistently report the highest suicide risk - they were 2.5 times more likely to report a suicide attempt in the past year.
- Black transgender and nonbinary youth report disproportionate rates of suicide risk, with 59% seriously considering suicide and more than 1 in 4 (26%) attempting suicide in the past year.
The worst part? Many of these deaths could be prevented.
LGBTQ young people report significantly lower rates of attempting suicide when they:
- have access to LGBTQ-affirming spaces
- have not experienced bullying in the past year
- have not experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity
- have not undergone conversion therapy
- have at least one accepting adult in their lives
- live in a community that is accepting of LGBTQ+ people
- go to a school that is accepting of LGBTQ+ students
- have access to a Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA)
- have their pronouns respected
- are allowed to officially change the gender marker on their legal documents
That's right. Suicide rates go down when young people are able to live free of discrimination, and when their identities are respected.
And these aren't small decreases.
Youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide in the past year. Having at least one accepting adult can reduce the risk of a suicide attempt among LGBTQ young people by 40 percent.
Transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected.
It really is that simple.
In our mini-course, we're helping educators create spaces where LGBTQ+ youth feel seen and validated, which can literally save their lives. Just a few small changes in a school and classroom can make a world of difference for kids.