A survey of Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ young people also report they’re at high risk of suicide and suggests they’re finding support in their peers<br>LGBTQ+ youth in Wisconsin said politics are negatively impacting their mental health, according to a recent <a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/state-reports-wisconsin-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>.<br>The report this month from The Trevor Project surveyed over 18,000 LGBTQ+ people aged 13 to 24 nationwide. The data was collected from September to December 2023.<br>In Wisconsin, researchers found 39 percent of LGBTQ+ youth seriously contemplated suicide in the past year. That number was even higher, 44 percent, for transgender and nonbinary youth. <br>Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.<br>In comparison, 13 percent of their heterosexual peers considered suicide in the past year, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a9.htm#:~:text=Similarly%2C%20the%20prevalence%20among%20LGBQ+%20students%20was,13.0%)%2C%20and%20attempted%20suicide%20(19.7%%20versus%206.0%)." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2023 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey</a> for high school students. <br>LGBTQ+ kids aren’t at a higher risk of suicide because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, the report emphasized, but because of how they are treated in society. <br>“From anti-LGBTQ+ politics to discrimination, bullying and barriers in mental health,” said Ronita Nath, who serves as the vice president of research at The Trevor Project. “These stressors pile up and take a real toll.”<br>The report found 53 percent of Wisconsin LGBTQ+ youth said recent politics “negatively impacted their well being a lot,” while another 38 percent said it did “sometimes.” At the time the survey was conducted, Wisconsin was debating <a href="https://www.wpr.org/diversity-and-inclusion/were-just-trying-live-trans-youth-families-wisconsin-struggle-contentious-political-environment" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bills</a>, <a href="https://www.wpr.org/books/banned-books-nationwide-wisconsin-libraries-see-efforts-remove-library" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">books</a> and <a href="https://www.wpr.org/education/waukesha-school-district-fires-first-grade-teacher-after-rainbowland-controversy-melissa-tempel" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">songs</a> related to trans and LGBTQ+ kids.<br>Just 10 percent said recent politics “never” impacted their well-being negatively. <br>“Our kids are hurting because our kids are listening,” said Abigail Swetz, the executive director of Fair Wisconsin. “It’s really disappointing to see elected leaders attacking such a small and vulnerable youth population.”<br>Forty percent of youth surveyed said they or their family thought about leaving the state because of politics related to the LGBTQ+ community. <br>Meanwhile, 70 percent said the community they live in is accepting of LGBTQ+ people. <br>“The best way that an everyday person in Wisconsin can support a trans and nonbinary youth is by being that one supportive adult in the room that they know they can turn to,” Swetz said. <br>Sixty-three percent of youth surveyed said they had anxiety symptoms, and half reported depression symptoms. Almost half said they wanted mental health support but didn’t get it. <br>“I think that really shows us that access to care remains a major barrier,” said Nath, the researcher.<br>Compared to surveys from previous years, however, the overall numbers are looking better, she added. <br>“Fewer LGBTQ+ youth are reporting suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, anxiety and depression compared to when we did this a couple years ago,” Nath said. “Fewer said that they were unable to get the mental health care they needed. So, that’s encouraging.”<br>Wisconsin stands out in supporting youth at home, she said <br>“Forty-seven percent said they had access to an affirming home, which is higher than in many states,” Nath said. <br>The report found 72 percent of Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ youth feel highly supported by their friends.<br>Yanté Turner is the youth program director for Wisconsin’s GSAFE, which supports LGBTQ+ students. <br>“Teachers are not allowed and can’t protect them in particular ways,” Turner said. “So, young people are going to go towards each other like they always have.”<br>While their parents talk about how to keep them safe, LGTBQ+ kids sometimes just want to be kids and play with their friends, he added.<br>“They just want to kick it and survive,” Turner said. “These institutions are attacking theories, not real people.”<br>He said organizers should let young people help lead the solutions. <br>Solutions like affirming spaces and policies that allow LGBTQ+ youth to exist openly, Nath said.<br>Young people surveyed said a top action Wisconsinites could do to support them was “trusting that I know who I am, ” a statement supported by 87 of those surveyed. <br>“You don’t need to be an expert in LGBTQ+ topics or identities to show them you care,” Nath said. <br><em>Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2025, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.</em><br> © 2025 by Wisconsin Public Radio, a service of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin-Madison <br><br><a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMie0FVX3lxTFBjYk5tUWdmZEhQN1VCYXo4UmFNd0RiX0lvdFViblRRNm5ULUhzb0IwT1FzbmhhMGYzRGg0VXQyZ0liblg5TFBwdVl4N3hCRm8zdXh0bHo5ZEF2YUZYblpKSjh0RUk0SVhCbUd4S01zaklrWEh0a2hDX3dJRQ?oc=5">source</a>
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