Politics hamper young LGBTQ+ Michiganders' mental health
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Despite some recent strides in LGBTQ+ acceptance in Michigan, mistreatment and stigma are still contributing to high anxiety and depression among young people, a new report finds.
Why it matters: An estimated 6% of adult Michiganders identify as LGBTQ+, with higher counts for younger folks — 16% of those 18-24. Plus, the overall amount of queer and trans Americans who publicly identify themselves continues to rise.
State of play: More than a third of young LGBTQ+ Michiganders seriously considered suicide in the last year. The figure is higher for transgender and nonbinary youth — 42%.
- That's according to new research from crisis intervention organization The Trevor Project, which surveyed more than 600 Michiganders ages 13-24 in fall 2023.
By the numbers: Of Michigan's LGBTQ+ youth, 68% reported anxiety and 52% depression in the last year. More than 20% reported being physically harmed or threatened based on their identity.
- Nearly all of them said politics hurt their well-being a lot or sometimes.
- Nearly half of those who wanted mental health care didn't receive it, due to issues like fear and lack of affordability.
Context: These mental health outcomes are "not innate to who LGBTQ+ people are," Ronita Nath, The Trevor Project's vice president of research, tells Axios. "Rather, they are ... because of the stigma and discrimination they experience in society, and research bears that out again and again."
What they're saying: "There's a direct correlation of deadly consequences, particularly when you talk about trans youth," Equality Michigan executive director Erin Knott tells Axios, referencing President Trump's anti-trans actions.
Zoom out: Trump made attacks on transgender people a focus of his 2024 campaign.
- In his first few weeks in office, Trump rolled out a flurry of executive orders radically reshaping trans people's rights in the U.S.
- Some Democrats are also publicly second-guessing the party's stances on transgender rights.
Zoom in: Michigan passed a bill to protect LGBTQ+ people under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act in 2023 and elected its first out LGBTQ+ statewide officeholder, Attorney General Dana Nessel, in 2018.
Yes, but: Michigan Republicans recently spoke out about no longer allowing transgender girls on girls sports teams. Lawmakers also sought to create penalties for parents who obtain gender-affirming care for their children.
What's next: A state House Republican introduced a resolution calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality. At the same time, some Democrats are seeking to revoke Michigan's same-sex marriage ban to uphold marriage equality if it was removed at the federal level.