A new report from The Trevor Project uses the self-described experiences of more than 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 across the United States to offer a state-by-state look at the impact of anti-LGBTQ+ victimization and policies, including mental health challenges and suicide risk, and at access to care and methods of support.
The report uses data collected from the young people themselves through The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, and segments it across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. It shows that LGBTQ+ young people continue to report the impacts of anti-LGBTQ+ victimization such as bullying, discrimination, threats of physical violence, and conversion therapy, including high rates of mental health challenges and suicidality.
Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, stressed in a statement, however, that “Similar to previous research, these data reinforce that LGBTQ+ youth are not disproportionately impacted by suicide because of who they are, but rather, because of how they are mistreated, stigmatized and discriminated against. This is an incredibly difficult time for many LGBTQ+ young people—and these findings give us critical insight into the unique challenges they face in every state.”
The report also outlines some key regional trends:
- The South: LGBTQ+ youth living in states across the South had some of the highest rates of wanting but being unable to access to mental health care (e.g., South Carolina 63%, Texas 60%) and some of the highest rates of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity (e.g., Alabama 65%, Arkansas 66%) and some of the lowest levels of community acceptance (e.g., Mississippi 21%, Tennessee 33%) compared to other regions.
- The Northeast: LGBTQ+ young people living in states across the Northeast reported higher levels of community acceptance (e.g., Massachusetts 90%, Maine 81%) and relatively lower rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts (e.g., Connecticut 26% suicidal thoughts, 6% suicide attempts; New Hampshire 36% suicidal thoughts, 10% suicide attempts) compared to other regions.
- The Midwest: LGBTQ+ young people living in states across the Midwest reported some of the highest rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts (e.g., Ohio 43% suicidal thoughts, 12% suicide attempts; Nebraska 45% suicidal thoughts, 16% suicide attempts) compared to their peers in other regions. Youth in the Midwest also reported some of the highest rates of physical threat or harm based on sexual orientation or gender identity (e.g., Wisconsin 24%, Kansas 28%).
- The West: LGBTQ+ young people in states across the West had some of the highest reported rates of affirming home environments (e.g., Montana 54%, Oregon 54%) compared to their LGBTQ+ peers in other regions. However, they also reported some of the highest levels of depression, with 52% of LGBTQ+ youth in California experiencing symptoms of depression in the past year.
It’s pretty clear that youth in places with more inclusive laws and policies—the Northeast and West—tend to have more acceptance and support, although the report does not offer reasons for findings in specific states, such as the perhaps unexpectedly high levels of depression in California. The Trevor Project did advise in its press release, however, that “Any comparisons between regions and states should be interpreted with caution,” since the survey it was based on “was designed to generate a large and diverse sample of LGBTQ+ young people, not a nationally representative one.”
Nevertheless, Black said, “We hope lawmakers, advocates, youth-serving professionals, and allies in every corner of the country use this research to better understand and support the young people in their communities.”
I’ll add the caution that while the report’s findings can indeed be useful as Black said, and can help address systemic issues in each state, they should not be used to assume or deny the experiences of any individual LGBTQ+ youth one may encounter. (The report does not imply that the findings should be used that way, but I want to stress the point because it is important.) LGBTQ+ youth in more accepting states can still have awful personal experiences with family or peers, for example; ones in hostile states can still have strong family or other support. As a broad indicator of where problems and supports may lie in a particular state, however, the report offers valuable insight.
As Dr. Ronita Nath, vice president of research at The Trevor Project, explained, “Many of these state findings are grim, and they signal serious gaps in resources and outsized mental health challenges for already marginalized youth that we simply must address. However, these data also give us a clear call to action: we must all do our part to make LGBTQ+ young people feel more welcome and accepted in the places they call home.”
View the full results, including the complete methodology and findings for all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help/, or by texting START to 678678.
