As Pride Month comes closer, you’ll likely see corporations including rainbows in their advertisements and on T-shirts. You might also notice an uptick in LGBTQ-related content in your favorite magazines, newspapers, and even your social media feeds. There’s nothing wrong with any of that—though there is much to be said about how corporations can actually help communities and not just profit off of them—but discussions about LGBTQ+ people should not begin and end in those spaces.
As evidenced in a new report from The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization, LGBTQ+ youth, LGBTQ+ youth of color, and specifically transgender and nonbinary youth have a greater risk of suicide attempts than their peers. That risk increases if they have experienced discrimination. These numbers are always important, but especially so when Republicans are pushing anti-trans legislation after anti-trans legislation, attacking LGBTQ+ youth on all sides. Let’s break down the numbers—including the numbers on what helps support and affirm LGBTQ+ youth—below.
