AUSTIN, Texas — LGBTQ youth in Texas experienced suicidal thoughts at higher rates than their peers in large states and had a harder time accessing mental health care, according to a survey by the Trevor Project.
Two in three Texans surveyed by the LGBTQ suicide prevention group in 2022 said they wanted mental health care that year but were unable to access it. Nearly half, 47%, reported they contemplated suicide and 16% said they attempted it.
Although the group cautioned against close comparisons between states, Texans fared the worst, or were tied with worst, in all but one survey category among the nation’s five most populous states. Florida tied Texas in the rates of LGBTQ youth reporting discrimination and attempted suicide.
Ricardo Martinez, the head of the LGBTQ rights organization Equality Texas, said the findings “paint an alarming picture” driven by political rhetoric.
“Hateful language shared from politicians and public figures across the state normalizes violent behavior toward LGBTQ+ young people. Our kids are learning how to behave from our leaders. What they are learning is that it’s OK to bully their LGBTQ+ peers,” he said.
The findings are part of a first-of-its-kind analysis of the Trevor Project’s 2022 survey results from California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. The nonprofit, which bills itself as the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ youth, surveyed more than 34,000 people ages 13 to 24 last year on risk of self harm, anti-LGBTQ attacks and “negative impacts of recent politics.”
Trevor Project research analyst Hannah Rosen said variables between states like sample sizes and demographics make it difficult to draw direct comparisons state-by-state.
“While we cannot compare state data directly,” Rosen said, “our research consistently finds that LGBTQ young people who report having access to accepting communities, LGBTQ-affirming spaces, and social support among family and friends are more likely to have better mental health outcomes and lower suicide risk.”
The analysis, released Thursday, looks at six categories across the five states:
— Considered Suicide: Who seriously considered suicide in the past year.
— Attempted Suicide: Who attempted suicide in the past year.
— Access to Care: Who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
— Discrimination: Who reported that they have experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
— Affirming Spaces – School: Who identified their school as an LGBTQ-affirming space.
— Community Acceptance: Who reported that their community was somewhat or very accepting of LGBTQ people.
Texas reported the highest, or tied for highest, rates in the first four categories and lowest in the rate of community acceptance. Fewer youth in Pennsylvania, 42% of those surveyed, reported their school as an LGBTQ-affirming space while this was true of 43% of respondents in Texas and Florida.
New York reported the lowest rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among the five states, at 41% and 12% respectively, and more LGBTQ youth in California reported feeling affirmed at school and in their community.
Senior Fellow for Advocacy and Government Affairs Casey Pick said no single factor can account for the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ young people in Texas.
“We hope this new research will be used to shine a light on the disparities faced by LGBTQ young people and help spark action by leaders and politicians to stop targeting these young people, and instead implement policies and solutions that protect their mental health and well-being,” Pick said.
State lawmakers in Texas have increasingly focused on LGBTQ youth in recent years, debating everything from health care access to education policies.
In 2021, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law requiring transgender students athletes to compete only in team sports that match their sex at birth. In 2022, Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton directed the state to launch child abuse investigations into transgender youth who were receiving certain medical treatments.
Ahead of next year’s session, which kicks off on January 10, lawmakers have filed bills that would outlaw gender-affirming care for minors and ban children from drag queen shows.
Nearly one in four people 18- to 24-years-old identify as LGBTQ, more than twice the rate of the generation before them, according to recent U.S. Census and Gallup poll data. In Texas, more than 8% of adults now identify as LGBTQ, and the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimates one in five of the more than 46,000 same-sex couples in Texas are raising children.
Martinez directly blamed Abbott for the negative outcomes in the Trevor Project survey.
“With a Governor who is openly campaigning to end transgender health care for young people, it comes as no surprise that LGBTQ+ mental health outcomes in the state have suffered,” he said. “We will hold our politicians accountable for the consequences of their words.”
Abbott’s spokesman did not return a request for comment.
