June is Pride Month – a celebration of the LGBTQ community and a commemoration of the June 1969 Stonewall Riots, considered by many to be the modern-day launchpad of the movement.
This year, it’s celebrated in North Carolina from the capital to our smaller towns. But it is worth remembering: While today’s LGBTQ youth live in a world much more accepting than the one that sparked the Stonewall riot, many are still struggling.
The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that specializes in suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth, released its first National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health this month. Here, by the numbers, is a look at what it found.
34,000 – Number of respondents across the United States, making it the largest survey of LGBTQ mental health ever conducted
71 – The percentage of respondents who reported feeling sad or hopeless for at least two weeks in the past year
39 – The percentage of LGBTQ respondents who said they seriously considered attempting suicide in the past twelve months
54 – The percentage of transgender respondents who said they seriously considered attempting suicide in the past twelve months
71 – The percentage of respondents who reported discrimination due to either their sexual orientation or gender identity
58 – The percentage of transgender and non-binary respondents who reported being discouraged from using a bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity
76 – The percentage of respondents who said they felt the recent political climate impacted their mental health or sense of self
87 – The percentage of respondents who said it was important to them to reach out to a crisis intervention organization that focuses on LGBTQ youth
98 – The percentage of respondents who said a safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth would be valuable to them
44 – The percentage of cisgender respondents who attempted suicide among those who had considered it in the last twelve months
53 – The percentage of transgender or non-binary respondents who attempted suicide among those who had considered it in the last twelve months
67 – The percentage of respondents who said they had someone attempt to convince them to change their sexual orientation or gender identity
43 – The percentage of respondents who said they were open about their sexual orientation to a teacher or guidance counselor at their school
40 – The percentage of respondents who were said they were open about their gender identity to a teacher or guidance counselor at their school
30 – The percentage of respondents who said they were open about their sexual orientation to a doctor or health care professional
29 – The percentage of transgender or non-binary respondents who said they were open about their gender identity to a doctor or health care professional
Source: The Trevor Project