Similarly, she singled out the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that sends the message to youth that “their identities should be kept silent.”Īdditionally, calling into question “the right to gender affirming healthcare and using the bathroom violate the most basic human needs,” Zayde added. Zayde explained that these kinds of policies make these young people’s very bodies discussion points that are “called into question and labeled as wrong.” When trans youth are prevented from being on the teams that match their gender identity, they’re effectively banned from what could be an incredibly healthy coping mechanism to the stressors of daily life,” she said. “So many youth use sports and sports teams as a community-building activity that helps them feel included. “Individually, each of these bills creates its own level of harm, but together, LGBTQ youth are getting the message that they don’t have the right to exist and be happy,” Zayde told Healthline.
These bills range from preventing transgender youth from participating in sports and banning discussion of LGBTQIA+ topics and issues in classrooms, to preventing gender affirming healthcare and even preventing young people from using bathrooms that correspond to their gender, she stressed. Heather Zayde, LCSW, a Brooklyn-based clinical social worker and psychotherapist, said that right now in the United States, 238 anti-LGBTQ bills have been filed in 2022 alone. “It’s also worth noting that recent polling data found that 85 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth - and two-thirds of all LGBTQ youth, or 66 percent - say recent debates about anti-transgender laws have negatively impacted their mental health,” he said. “It’s important to emphasize that LGBTQ youth face stressors that their peers simply never have to worry about, such as anxiety around coming out and fears of being rejected or discriminated against based on their LGBTQ identity,” DeChants explained. This can all “compound and produce negative mental health outcomes,” he added. When compared with their non-LGBTQ peers, LGBTQ young people are “significantly more likely” to experience rejection, discrimination, violence, bullying, and harassment, DeChants explained. “LGBTQ young people often experience disproportionate mental health challenges because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized by society,” Jonah DeChants, PhD, research scientist for the nonprofit The Trevor Project, told Healthline. How the current national climate is affecting the health of LGBTQIA+ youth Healthline spoke with several experts about the challenges LGBTQIA+ youth are facing in the United States today and what actionable steps people can take to support them right now.
This can trickle down to affect their health as would-be safe spaces, like schools, family households, and communities are now being infused with debates over LGBTQIA+ rights and visibility. It’s a challenging time for LGBTQIA+ people in the United States.ĭiscriminatory legislation, like Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill-dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill-and Texas’ transphobic policy proposals that target gender affirming care, has created a damaging environment for the mental and physical health and well-being of LGBTQIA+ people at large, but especially for young people.ĭuring this time of intense stress coming from a number of directions, LGBTQIA+ youth are finding that their very identities are being politicized. Share on Pinterest Design by Alexis Lira, Photography via Simone Wave/Stocksy United