Survey: 1 in 4 Black transgender, nonbinary youth tried suicide in past year

Dr. Myeshia Price, director of research science at The Trevor Project, called the mental health of Black transgender and nonbinary youth a public health crisis.

TheGrio Staff

Feb 28, 2023

A recent poll revealed some unsettling results: One in four Black nonbinary, transgender youth attempted suicide in the previous 12 months, more than twice the rate of their cisgender counterparts.

According to CNN, The Trevor Project surveyed almost 34,000 American LGBTQ youth ages 13 to 24 in the fall of 2021. The nonprofit, which concentrates on LGBTQ youth suicide prevention, discovered that young Black and nonbinary people also had higher rates of anxiety and depression.

Dr. Myeshia Price, director of research science at The Trevor Project, called the mental health of Black transgender and nonbinary youth a public health crisis.

A Black LGBTQ+ Lives Matter flag flies during the Black Trans Lives Matter march in June 2020 in London, England. A recent study from The Trevor Project found that in the U.S., Black nonbinary, transgender youth are more than two times more likely to commit suicide than their Black cisgender counterparts. (Photo: Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

“Immediate steps must be taken by educators, youth-serving adults, and mental health professionals,” Price noted, CNN reported, “to ensure that Black trans and nonbinary young people feel seen, supported and protected against a world that so often brings them harm.”

Black adolescents’ suicide rates rose by 37 percent between 2018 and 2021, outpacing those of any other racial or ethnic group over the previous two decades, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to The Trevor Project data, Black transgender and nonbinary youth suicide rates were 16 percent and 25 percent, respectively, higher than those of their white transgender and nonbinary peers.

Also Read:
‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, and bills like it, will have harmful impact on Black LGBTQ+ youth, say critics

They also have shockingly high bias, violence and homelessness rates. Nearly 80 percent of individuals surveyed reported experiencing discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Forty percent said they encountered physical threats or harm — twice as high as their Black cisgender LGBQ peers.

Price said the data demonstrates that Black trans and nonbinary youth are especially vulnerable, as they carry multiple marginalized identities, putting them at greater risk of suicide.

Also Read:
Suicides are on the rise among Black Americans— and are likely underreported

The research authors believe strong support can lessen the adverse effects of the difficulties faced, citing statistics showing that suicide attempts were half as likely in those who reported receiving solid help socially from relatives.

The authors urged encouraging Black families to inject “supportive messages around gender identity” into their family structure, CNN reported, and providing families with “structural and educational resources to empower them to show up as best as they can for the young LGBTQ people in their lives.”

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!