Black transgender and nonbinary youth face elevated suicide risk, according to a new study released by the Trevor Project’s research team. The study is based on a survey of nearly 34,000 LGBTQ youth from across the United States. The findings reveal that one in four Black trans and nonbinary young people reported a suicide attempt in the past year, more than double the rate compared to their Black cisgender LGBQ peers.
The study’s key findings show that Black trans and nonbinary young people reported higher rates of all indicators of poor mental health, compared to their Black cisgender LGBQ peers. Additionally, they experience higher rates of victimization, attempts from others to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, and housing instability compared to their cisgender peers.
However, the study also found that Black trans and nonbinary youth with high social support from their family had 47% lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year. This highlights the importance of family support and acceptance for LGBTQ youth, especially those who are transgender or nonbinary.
The Trevor Project, a leading organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth, hopes that these findings will shed light on the unique challenges faced by Black trans and nonbinary youth and inspire action to support their mental health and well-being.
