We don’t hear about anti-trans bills very often once they pass, but a new study suggests that young people’s lives may depend on our continued attention.
Researchers at The Trevor Project, a leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people, published a study today in The Trevor Project natural human behavior Studies have found that states governed by these laws also have higher rates of suicide attempts among transgender youth.
Ronita Nurse, Ph.D. (she/her), Vice President of Research at The Trevor Project, in a statement.
The study examined 48 anti-transgender laws enacted by 19 state governments between 2018 and 2022. That’s just a fraction of the 476 bills introduced during the same five-year period, which cover issues related to youth sports, education, access to gender-affirming health care, so-called “bathroom bills” and more, according to Trans Legislation Tracker — —The impact of about 10% of passages is profound.
The Trevor Project examined the causal relationship between these laws and suicide risk using data collected from a survey of more than 61,000 transgender and non-binary youth aged 13 to 24 years old.
The study found a significant increase in suicide attempts among participants whose states had enacted at least one anti-transgender law. Participants aged 13 to 17 reported the highest increase in suicide attempt rates, ranging from 7% to 72%.
The study found “little evidence” of increased suicidality in anticipation of these laws. In other words, the idea or even passage of these laws does not in itself lead to an increase in suicide attempts. But starting a year after these laws were enacted—that is, after people were actually living under the laws—the researchers found a statistically significant increase in such attempts.
This comes after another study by the Trevor Project found that anti-LGBTQ+ policies in schools harm queer children, including increased rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide.
Sadly, the risks to our trans and non-binary children not only remain, but increase over time. Each year since 2020 has been the most prolific for anti-trans legislation ever. In 2024 alone, 658 anti-trans bills were introduced, far more than the five years examined in this study.
Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said: “There is no doubt that anti-trans policies and the dangerous rhetoric surrounding them are taking a toll on the health and safety of trans and non-binary young people across the country. Considerable losses.
“As we approach critical elections this November, these young people will continue to be a political talking point. I urge every adult – whatever your political beliefs – to remember that trans and non-binary young people are our ‘s families, our friends and our neighbors. It is not necessary to fully understand their experiences to acknowledge that they – like all young people – deserve dignity, respect and the ability to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
Read the entire study here.
