Politics, discrimination hurt young LGBTQ+ Floridians' mental health

The big picture: The findings from crisis intervention nonprofit The Trevor Project's late-2023 survey of 984 LGBTQ+ Floridians aged 13-24 give a glimpse into the mental health toll of growing up in America's least gay-friendly state.

Case in point: Almost all respondents said recent politics had negatively affected their well-being a lot or sometimes, while 69% said they or their family had considered moving out of state "because of LGBTQ+-related politics and laws."

What they're saying: Such policies "oftentimes make these young people feel like their own state has turned against them and does not want them there," said Maxx Fenning, executive director of youth-led LGBTQ+ rights group PRISM.

• "Florida seems to get redder and redder, but that doesn't make our kids any less queer or trans," said Jen Cousins, Central Florida chapter chair of LGBTQ+ education nonprofit GLSEN and mother of two queer children.
• "They're still going to be born. They're still going to come into society. We're not going to stop them just because there are intolerant people."

By the numbers: More than a third of respondents reported they'd seriously considered suicide in the last year. About one in 10 attempted it.

• The rates were higher among transgender and nonbinary respondents: 45% considered killing themselves, while 14% tried to.
• Two-thirds of respondents reported feeling symptoms of anxiety, while 54% said they'd experienced signs of depression. Again, those rates were higher among trans and nonbinary respondents.

Between the lines: The report emphasizes that LGBTQ+ young people aren't "inherently prone to higher suicide risk. … Rather, they are placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society."

• About a quarter of respondents said they had been physically threatened or harmed based on their identity, while 63% said they'd experienced discrimination.

• Less than half said the community where they live is accepting of LGBTQ+ people. Respondents also reported low rates of support from their family members.

How to help: "Trusting that I know who I am" was the top way folks could demonstrate their support, respondents said.

• That was followed by "Standing up for me" and "Not supporting politicians that advocate for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation."
• Spending time with and listening to queer youth can go a long way, Cousins said, as can educating yourself through books like "What's the T?" by Juno Dawson.
• "You cannot support these kids enough," Cousins said.

The latest: More than 300 people showed up in Tallahassee this week to kick off Equality Florida's Pride at the Capitol campaign, Fenning said. Organizers said that such work helped defeat 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ+ bills last year.

• "People showing up matters," Fenning said. "It really does make an impact."