Recent politics shake up mental health landscape for California's LGBTQ+ youth
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Despite California's perceived status as a safe haven, LGBTQ+ young people in the state continue to face barriers to mental health care and fear police and involuntary hospitalization, a new study shows.
The big picture: The San Francisco metro area is home to the highest concentration of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S., per 2021 Williams Institute estimates.
- More LGBTQ+ people have also moved to San Francisco in recent years after fleeing states with restrictive policies, local LGBTQ-serving groups have told Axios.
- In San Diego County, about 1 in 6 teenage students identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer, and 2.3% identify as transgender, per the latest estimates.
By the numbers: 35% of LGBTQ+ young people in California, including 39% of transgender and nonbinary youth, seriously considered suicide in the past year. Both figures are slightly lower than the nationwide statistics.
- That's according to new research from The Trevor Project, an organization that runs crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ people under 25.
- 11% attempted suicide in the past year, including 14% of trans and nonbinary youth, compared with 12% for both groups nationally.
The fine print: The Trevor Project surveyed 1,801 Californians ages 13-24.
- Though The Trevor Project released a similar report in 2022, researchers declined to draw direct comparisons due to methodology changes.
Between the lines: Despite living in a state with stronger civil rights protections, LGBTQ+ people in California aren't isolated from what's happening across America.
- The Bay Area's LGBTQ+ community has increasingly armored up in a bid to fight federal policies attacking their rights as the Trump administration attempts to combat what it calls "gender ideology extremism."
Statewide, 88% of LGBTQ+ young people surveyed by The Trevor Project reported that recent politics negatively impacted their well-being.
- 53% of those ages 13-17 said they were bullied because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
- At the same time, 52% of LGBTQ+ youth in California experienced symptoms of depression in the past year — on par with red states such as South Carolina and South Dakota.
Friction point: 50% of LGBTQ+ young people in California wanted access to mental health care but did not receive it.
- The top five reasons were: fear of discussing mental health concerns with someone else, not wanting to get their caregiver's permission, lack of affordability, fear of not being taken seriously and fear that someone would call the police or involuntarily hospitalize them.
Inside the room: "Most people usually think of tangible barriers to accessing care, like transportation," Ronita Nath, The Trevor Project's vice president of research, told Axios. "But there's a slew of intangible barriers," primarily concerns over being mistreated.
- That last one also raises questions about what involuntary hospitalizations are associated with in California and what happens behind closed doors, she noted.
Yes, but: California had one of the highest reported rates of affirming home environments, with 81% of LGBTQ+ young people saying their community is accepting of people like them.
- Affirming spaces, supportive communities and inclusive policies are "universally associated with lower rates of suicidal thoughts and attempts, as well as lower rates of anxiety and depression," Nath said.
What they're saying: These mental health outcomes are "not innate to who LGBTQ+ people are," Nath told Axios. "Rather, they are ... because of the stigma and discrimination they experience in society, and research bears that out again and again."
- As a result, schools will remain on "the front lines," Nath added, noting that her trans son can't just sever his mental health from his consciousness when he's in class.
- Schools "definitely need to have the adequate tools and strategies in place to support LGBTQ+ young people, and our government and school officials must respond to this public health crisis with comprehensive suicide prevention strategies that are tailored to meet their needs."
Zoom in: In San Diego, community centers in Hillcrest and Chula Vista provide safe and affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth with social meet-ups, programs for navigating gender-affirming care, crisis support, emergency housing and other services.
- Our Safe Place has drop-in centers and mental health clinics around the county for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.