LGBTQ+ youth who live in Northeastern states have the highest rates of community acceptance and lower rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to queer youth in other U.S. regions, according to a new 474-page report just released by The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention organization.

The report provides state-by-state analysis of data taken from the organization’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, a survey that captured the experiences of over 18,000 LGBTQ+ young people ages 13 to 24 across the nation.

The survey didn’t provide a nationally representative sample of LGBTQ+ youth, the Trevor Project said. But the new report’s findings still underscore the high rates of mental health challenges that LGBTQ+ youth face amid anti-LGBTQ+ political policies, bullying, discrimination, threats of physical violence, and conversion therapy, the group added.

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Compared to other U.S. regions, the report found that queer youth living in the South had some of the highest rates of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and the lowest levels of community acceptance nationwide.

Comparatively, queer youth in Midwestern states reported some of the highest rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts, as well as some of the highest rates of physical threats for being LGBTQ+ nationwide. Queer youth in Western states reported some of the highest rates of affirming home environments but also some of the highest levels of depression nationwide.

Overall, the 2024 survey found that 39% of LGBTQ+ young people and 46% of trans and nonbinary young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Additionally, 49% of respondents ages 13 to 17 said they experienced bullying in the past year. Young people who were bullied were also significantly more likely to have attempted suicide in the past year.

What’s more, a whopping 90% of LGBTQ+ young people said recent politics has negatively affected their well-being, and 45% of trans and nonbinary youth said they or their family have considered moving to a different state due to anti-LGBTQ+ politics and laws. Additionally, only half of all respondents said they were able to receive the mental healthcare that they wanted.

However, the survey also asked LGBTQ+ young people how folks in their lives can best show support. The top 10 answers were as follows:

• Trusting that I know who I am
• Standing up for me
• Not supporting politicians that advocate anti-LGBTQ+ legislation
• Looking up things about LGBTQ+ identities on their own to better understand
• Respecting my pronouns
• Showing support for how I express my gender
• Asking questions about LGBTQ+ identities to better understand
• Accepting my partner(s)
• Showing support on social media
• Having or displaying Pride flags

The survey also found that a majority of LGBTQ+ young people considered online spaces and school to be more affirming than home, work, or community event spaces. Youth who reported higher rates of social and familial acceptance were less likely to have experienced suicidal thoughts or attempts over the previous year.

“LGBTQ+ young people [are] a group that is disproportionately impacted by suicide not because of who they are,
but because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society,” the report’s executive summary reads. “We published this report to equip fellow researchers, policymakers, educators, and other youth-facing professionals and organizations with the data they need to protect and uplift LGBTQ+ young people in their communities – and to help end the public health crisis of suicide, once and for all.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.

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