Mental health among LGBTQ+ youth needs to be addressed. Since 2018, suicide rates in LGBTQ+ youth have increased. This is an issue that could be majorly avoided, if not for the discrimination at school, home, and even in public areas like bathrooms. This is becoming such an issue that there are suicide help lines put in place explicitly for LGBTQ+ youth.

According to The Trevor Project’s 2022 national survey, 60% of youth seriously considered suicide after facing bathroom discrimination alone. This means that out of 10 LGBTQ+ minors who experienced bathroom discrimination, 6 of them seriously considered suicide afterward. This is because of the immense pressure put on youth to figure themselves out quickly, and using the bathroom they feel most comfortable in is part of that. If there were less pressure, LGBTQ+ youth might feel safer just using the bathroom. This is just one of the factors that contributes to why bathroom discrimination is such a problem.

It is common knowledge that fake identities also contribute to bad mental health among LGBTQ+ youth. These identities, (ex. animesexual, superstraight), are often created out of transphobia or for the sole purpose of being able to say slurs related to the community. These identities make LGBTQ+ youth feel like their identities and orientations are a joke and meant to be ridiculed. For obvious reasons, this leads to further decline in their mental health.

Trust is also a big issue. Because of not being able to trust anyone due to fear and anxiety, many LGBTQ+ youth just keep their thoughts to themselves. The Trevor Project’s 2022 national survey again proves that symptoms of anxiety in LGBTQ+ youth have increased by 5% from 2020-2022, going from 68% to 73%. Symptoms of depression from 2020-2022 have also increased, by 3%, from 55% to 58%.

Many feel that discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community has decreased, due to the rapid incline of people coming out, but in fact they have only increased since 2018. More and more people find themselves victim to bathroom discrimination, assault, rape, unacceptance and/or abuse at home, bullying, etc. In 67 countries, it is illegal to be homosexual. It is punishable by death in 11. (Human Dignity Trust)

LGBTQ+ youth mental health needs to be addressed and helped. Many feel hopeless due to issues within the community, discrimination, and how much being LGBTQ+ is still criminalized throughout the world. There needs to be change, and it needs to be now. LGBTQ+ youth and others are tired of waiting.