In 2023, the number of anti-transgender state laws increased by 300% compared to 2022. These laws are having a devastating impact.
A recent study by the Trevor Project, published in Nature Human Behavior, found that trans and nonbinary teen suicide attempts increased by as much as 72% in the wake of anti-trans legislation.
The Trevor Project conducted the study to highlight the impact that anti-trans laws were having on young people.
“There was research showing associations between these policies and negative mental health outcomes for trans youth, but we’ve also been hearing people say that the evidence was weak, so we wanted to see if we could show causality,” said Dr. Ronita Nath, vice president of research at The Trevor Project.
How the study was done
The researchers analyzed a sample of 61,000 responses from national surveys they’d conducted between 2018 and 2022 for trans and nonbinary youth between the ages of 13-24. They compared states with and without anti-trans laws and looked at up to three different time periods after one or more anti-trans bills had been passed in a state.
During the first time period, overall suicide attempts did not increase. However, during the second time period, suicide attempts increased 38% for the entire group. For the third time period, suicide rates rose overall by 44%. “We were expecting an impact,” said Dr. Nath, “but we weren’t expecting it to be so devastatingly large.”
What the data revealed about at-risk groups
Young teens were particularly at risk. In the first time period, suicide attempts rose by 7% for teens between the ages of 13-17, and a staggering 72% during the second time period. This dropped to 52% for the third time period.
The researchers hypothesized that attempted suicide rates might be higher among teens because several of the bills were aimed at restricting gender affirming healthcare and activities for children below the ages of 18, while older trans and nonbinary youth might have more access to resources.
Dr. Nath noted that while suicide rates dropped from 72% to 52% for younger teens, they still rose for the overall group. “Potentially between the second and third time period, teens were able to access more resources or some of the initial shock wore off,” she said.
Changing policies is nontrivial, and in the meantime trans and nonbinary youth are at risk. Dr. Nath stressed that the onus is now on individuals to make a difference.
“Our research shows that LGBTQ+ youth with just one accepting adult in their life report lower rates of attempting suicide,” she said. “[Creating] accepting environments at a local level, whether that’s gender inclusive education, using preferred names and pronouns, and learning more about LGBTQ+ identities, can all make a difference.”
The Trevor Project also has a guide on how to be a good ally to trans and nonbinary youth.
“Trans and nonbinary youth are not inherently at-risk for suicide,” Dr. Nath said. “They are placed at a higher risk because of discriminatory laws.”