The 2024 Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People in Florida was recently released by The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth.
They produce original research that amplifies their experiences and adds new knowledge and clinical implications to the suicide prevention field. The Trevor Project began publishing these surveys in 2019, which are filled with critical insights as well as data-driven ways to address the public health crisis of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth.
The 2024 edition collected the experiences of over 18,000 LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-24 across the country and around 1,000 respondents in Florida.
In Florida, it found that 37% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, which includes 45% of transgender and nonbinary youth. Along with that, it found that 11% attempted suicide in the past year. Symptoms of anxiety were experienced by 67% of LGBTQ+ youth in Florida, 70% of which were transgender and nonbinary. Symptoms of depression were experienced by 54% of this population.
The survey also reported on the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ youth that contributed to these suicidal ideations. It found that 24% of LGBTQ+ youth in Florida were physically threatened or harmed based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year. It also reported that 63% experienced discrimination based on these factors in the past year.
Because of these challenges and the political climate of the state, 69% of LGBTQ+ youth have reported that they or their family have considered leaving Florida.
The survey found that there were lower rates of attempting suicide when LGBTQ+ youth had access to affirming spaces and communities as well as supportive figures in their lives. Very few reported that home or school provided this feeling of safety and acceptance.
Participants of the survey shared that the people in their lives can best show their support by trusting that they know who they are, standing up for them, not supporting politicians that advocate for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, researching LGBTQ+ identities to better understand them, and respecting their pronouns.
Read The Trevor Project’s full report here and view more information about their 50-state report below.
