Politics, bullying hurt young LGBTQ Minnesotans' mental health
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Stigma, bullying and politics are contributing to high anxiety and depression rates among LGBTQ+ youth in Minnesota, even after the passage of new state laws meant to strengthen protections and support.
The big picture: More than a third of 421 young LGBTQ+ Minnesotans ages 13 to 23 surveyed by crisis intervention organization The Trevor Project seriously considered suicide in 2023, according to state-level research released this month.
- While it didn't cover the same age group, the most recent state survey data from 2022 shows that roughly 15 percent of all kids in grades 8, 9 and 11 had seriously considered suicide.
By the numbers: Close to two-thirds of young LGBTQ+ Minnesotans reported experiencing anxiety in "the last year," the Trevor Project survey found. Just over half experienced depression.
- Rates of both mental health struggles were marginally higher among transgender and nonbinary young people.
Threat level: Just under a quarter of respondents reported being physically harmed or threatened based on their identity, according to The Trevor Project, which surveyed Minnesotans ages 13–23 in the fall of 2023.
- More than half of those under 18 said they had been bullied.
Yes, but: Almost 80% of the respondents said they live in a community that is accepting of LGBTQ+ people.
Friction point: Nearly all of those surveyed said politics hurt their wellbeing a lot or sometimes.
- PFund is working to fill that void, distributing $300,000 in grants to organizations that serve transgender people across the upper Midwest.
What we're hearing: While the data is from late 2023, LGBTQ+ advocates in Minnesota say the situation — and demand for mental health support — has only gotten worse since the 2024 election put trans rights front and center.
- They've cited President Trump's executive orders radically reshaping trans people's rights and the state debate over trans athletes playing girls' sports as factors.
- Some Democrats are now also publicly second-guessing the party's stances on transgender rights.
What they're saying: "Our grantees across the mental health space, across the youth space, across the physical health space, are seeing an immense increased need for those services," Aaron Zimmerman, executive director of the nonprofit PFund Foundation, told Axios.
Stunning stat: The Trevor Project's 2023 survey underscored that challenge, with nearly half of those who wanted mental health care reporting that they didn't receive it, due to affordability and other issues.
- PFund is working to fill that void, distributing $300,000 in grants to organizations that serve transgender people across the upper Midwest.
Between the lines: Efforts to cement Minnesota's status as a "trans refuge" state may be compounding the demand for services, as more families move to the state to seek gender-affirming care for kids and other protections for patients and providers, Zimmerman said.
- PFund is aware of more than 300 LGBTQ+ families who reported moving to the state since those laws were enacted by DFL lawmakers in the first half of 2023.
The bottom line: The mental health outcomes highlighted by the survey are "not innate to who LGBTQ+ people are," Ronita Nath, The Trevor Project's vice president of research, told Axios.
- "Rather, they are ... because of the stigma and discrimination they experience in society, and research bears that out again and again."
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Ayuda disponible en español.