The Obstacles

• LGBTQ+ young people are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but rather are placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society (The Trevor Project, 2021).

• LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers (Johns et al., 2019; Toomey et al., 2018).

• Transgender and nonbinary youth were 2 to 2.5 as likely to experience depressive symptoms, seriously consider suicide, and attempt suicide compared to their cisgender LGBQ peers (Price-Feeney et al., 2020).

The Opportunities

• The kids have pride! More than 9 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth (90.3%) are proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community (HRC Foundation, 2023).

• Don’t be afraid to talk about it. Talking about suicide with another person decreases suicidal ideation (Gribble et al., 2014).

• Family acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth is the most important predictor of improved mental and physical health outcomes. It predicts greater self-esteem, social support, and general health status and protects against depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behaviors (Ryan et al., 2010)