Study Shows 72% increase of Trans Youth Suicides in Republican States

According to a just-released study, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, Idaho's governor, and the legislature are responsible for a 7 to 72% increase in Transgender suicides. Photo from the article "Idaho AG accuses pediatrics academy of possible consumer violations over gender care policies" (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

A study published in Nature Human Behavior shows a significant increase in suicide attempts by trans and non-binary youth in states following the enactment of anti-transgender laws.

Jurist news reports that the study collected survey data between 2018 to 2022 and found that suicide attempts for transgender and non-binary (TGNB) youths increased by seven to 72 percent a year after the enactment of anti-transgender legislation. The study wrote, “For TGNB young people, anti-transgender laws may signal a broader societal rejection of their identities, communicating that their identities and bodies are neither valid nor worthy of protection.”

Related: 22 Republican AGs Threaten To Make It Illegal For The American Academy of Pediatrics To Endorse Trans Care.

The report continues:

"Furthermore, there is empirical evidence that proposed anti-transgender laws may cause indirect harm to TGNB young people, such that perceived support for the legislation among people in their social network was associated with greater rumination, depressive symptoms, physical health symptoms and fear of disclosing one’s identity to others."

"One of the most contentious areas of this legislative push involves access to gender-affirming healthcare. Advocates of these anti-transgender laws often cite concerns about the potential negative health effects of gender-affirming healthcare on TGBN young people."

However, gender-affirming healthcare has well-established benefits (for example, improved mental health and well-being16–19), and restricting access to such care disregards the autonomy of TGNB young people, and frequently their caregivers, in making informed decisions about their health.

The study wrote

"Legislators and other involved parties must consider negative impacts of these laws on TGNB people when enacting similar future legislation, while prioritizing legislation that fosters acceptance of TGNB people and equity. With the understanding that anti-transgender laws can directly impact the lives of TGNB people, we argue that increasing access to gender-affirming care, resources and facilities could be lifesaving for TGNB people, especially TGNB minors."