It’s Transgender Awareness Week, Friend!

November 13 — 19 is Transgender Awareness Week, and we are excited to honor each member of our trans community. To every single young trans and nonbinary person: we see you, we celebrate you, and we’re here for you unconditionally.

Remember, during Trans Awareness Week (and every day), The Trevor Project is working to combat the anti-trans bills making their way through state and federal legislatures. Every single young trans and nonbinary young person deserves love and acceptance — and that needs to be reflected in our government’s laws and policies.

Learn how to join our grassroots effort to support trans young people on our website at thetrevorproject.org.

📊 Access to Mental Healthcare on College Campuses Reduces Suicide Risk for LGBTQ Students

In our latest research, LGBTQ college students with access to mental health services through their school had 84% lower odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to LGBTQ college students without access.

For many LGBTQ young people, going to college is an opportunity to connect with other LGBTQ people. However, if campuses do not meet the unique needs of LGBTQ students with community support and affirming healthcare, the college environment may also present challenges. Overall, one in three LGBTQ college students seriously considered suicide in the past year. Reducing barriers to on-campus mental health services and offering LGBTQ-specific services can lower that suicide risk.

📊 LGBTQ Youth are Coming Out at Younger Ages, Calls for Adult Affirming Support

In analyzing the age of sexual orientation outness and suicide risk, our latest research found that LGBTQ young people who come out earlier in their life (before the age of 13) report higher rates of victimization and suicide risk. As a potential explanation for this increase in risk, 46% of LGBTQ youth who came out before age 13 reported that they have been physically threatened or harmed due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, compared to 34% of LGBTQ youth who came out after age 13. However, LGBTQ youth who came out before age 13 and had family support reported lower rates of attempting suicide in the past year.

This research serves as a call to action for the adults in LGBTQ youth’s lives — parents, family members, teachers, doctors, and other direct service providers — to create affirming environments where youth can feel safe and supported coming out and live authentically at any age.

📝 Intersex, Not Invisible

In conversation on Intersex Awareness Day last month, intersex justice advocate and Texas Human Rights Commissioner Alicia Roth Weigel spoke about the importance of intersex awareness and acceptance: “The ‘I’ in LGBTQIA doesn’t stand for ‘invisible’ — it stands for intersex.”

Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe variations in physical sex traits or reproductive anatomy that are present at birth or emerge later in life, and differ from normative expectations of “male” and “female.” Alicia says, “When intersex people are born, society gets nervous that we’re going to be ostracized. That leads parents and doctors to enact surgeries on our bodies or make decisions about our identities before we’re even old enough to have a voice.”

🏳️‍🌈 Messages from The Trevor Team this November