1 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide in past year, survey finds

Young queer people are struggling with their mental health − and what a leading LGBTQ+ organization calls discriminatory politics aren't helping, according to a national survey on LGBTQ+ youth mental health.

The annual survey from the Trevor Project, out May 6, found 1 in 10 LGBTQ+ young people attempted suicide in the past year − a similar, though slightly lower, figure to last year's result of 12%.

Thirty-six percent of LGBTQ+ young people also "seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year," the latest survey added, including 40% of transgender and nonbinary young people.

"LGBTQ+ young people of color attempted suicide at higher rates than their White peers, and nearly a third (32%) experienced racial or ethnic discrimination," the survey noted.

Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ+ youth advocacy group focused on suicide prevention, said the survey results aren't particularly surprising.

"Given the current climate in our country, it comes as no surprise that many LGBTQ+ young people are reporting high rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidality," Black said in a news release. "Similar to previous research, this national survey demonstrates that LGBTQ+ youth experience these negative mental health outcomes not because of who they are, but because of how they are mistreated by others."

The survey, which includes perspectives from 16,000 LGBTQ+ people ages 13 to 24 across the United States, also looked at recent anti-LGBTQ+ laws, policies and debates.

And an overwhelming majority, 90%, of participants said these caused stress or anxiety.

After making gender identity a focal point of his campaign, President Donald Trump returned to the White House and introduced executive orders that included seeking to remove legal protections for transgender people in federal spaces, laying the groundwork to potentially bar transgender people from military service and declaring that the U.S. government will recognize only two sexes, male and female.

Recent years have already seen increasing numbers of state laws and proposed legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, especially measures aimed at curbing the rights of transgender young people.

USA TODAY reached out to the White House for comment.

Anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide among LGBTQ+ teens and young adults isn't new. A smaller Trevor Project survey in 2025 showed rates increased to high levels.

"For many LGBTQ+ young people in the U.S., the steady stream of anti-LGBTQ+ news may feel overwhelming right now," Steven Hobaica, a research scientist for the Trevor Project, told USA TODAY amid reports in 2025 that LGBTQ-related politics or laws prompted more than a quarter-million LGBTQ+ young people and family members in the United States to relocate.

"It’s heartbreaking to see that nearly half of transgender and nonbinary youth have considered moving due to anti-LGBTQ+ policies," Hobaica added at the time.

The latest results did offer a hopeful reality for some LGBTQ+ youth, however. For example, the survey found risk for attempting suicide lowers significantly when LGBTQ+ young people report having welcoming and supportive communities, spaces and people in their lives.

"As adults and allies, this is our call to action: We must continue to vocally and visibly show the LGBTQ+ young people in our lives that they belong, exactly as they are," Black added.

Contributing: Marc Ramirez

If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.