Content Warning: suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm

April is Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Heritage Month. Young people who identify as both LGBTQ and MENA share a unique cultural experience and it is important that this month – and all year – we continue to work to affirm and support them in the shared context of their identities.

Our latest research brief is one of the first to exclusively address the mental health of MENA LGBTQ young people separately from White LGBTQ young people, despite having higher rates of attempted suicide and experiencing depression and anxiety than White LGBTQ young people. Here are some of our key findings:

• 49% of the MENA LGBTQ young people surveyed in our 2022 National Survey reported seriously considering suicide, and nearly two-thirds (64%) reported engaging in self-harm in the past year.
• 64% reported experiencing depressive symptoms, and over 78% reported experiencing anxiety in the past two weeks.
• [HOW TO SUPPORT] More than 82% of MENA LGBTQ young people found therapy helpful when their therapist understood their racial/ethnic background.

We encourage you to learn more about these key findings and to learn more about how you can support MENA LGBTQ young people in your community. Another way to learn more is to listen to and amplify the voice of MENA LGBTQ individuals, like brothers Michael and Zak Zakar who sat down with our team to discuss their upbringing, share advice for LGBTQ young people, and shine a light on the MENA community.