Nearly 50% of LGBT teens considered suicide last year - with nearly one-fifth of transgender men attempting to end their lives, shocking survey finds

More than one in 10 young people who identify as LGBTQ attempted suicide in 2023, a survey from suicide prevention organization Trevor Project has found. 

The survey, which focuses on the mental health of LGBTQ youth, was circulated to 18,000 people from ages 13 to 24.

Nearly 40 percent of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, while 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people between the ages of 13 and 17 had similar ideations.

Transgender men were the most at risk, with more than 50 percent of them reporting considering suicide and 18 percent of them attempting it.

Among LGBTQ teens aged 13 to 17, a total of 16 percent attempted suicide. This is higher than the average among all LGBTQ youths, which sits at 12 percent.

Nearly 40 percent of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year

Close to half of transgender and nonbinary young people had considered a suicide attempt in 2023

Even more troubling, half of those surveyed reported not being able to get mental health care when they needed it.

When broken down further, suicidal ideation vastly differs among different groups in the LGBTQ community.

Those identifying as pansexual had both the highest rate of considering suicide and attempting it, with gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer people reporting relatively similar rates of attempting suicide.

Across racial groups, Native American LGBTQ youth were by far and away the most likely to consider or attempt suicide, according to the survey.

The Trevor Project said that 'anti-LGBTQ+ victimization' was the main factor in young people's increased likelihood for suicide, something the organization has found in its previous surveys.

'Once again, this year's survey shows that considering or attempting suicide is not uncommon among LGBTQ+ young people,' said Dr. Ronita Nath, the Vice President of Research at the Trevor Project. 'However, many of the contributing risk factors for suicide are preventable, and often rooted in victimizing behaviors of others.'

The Trevor Project at the 2023 LA Pride Parade on June 11, 2023 in Hollywood, California

LGBTQ activists and their supporters rally in support of transgender people on the steps of New York City Hall, October 24, 2018 in New York City

From left to right: Antoni Porowski, CEO of The Trevor Project Amit Paley and Jonathan Van Ness attend TrevorLIVE NY 2019 at Cipriani Wall Street on June 17, 2019 in New York City

Victimization includes bullying, which, for those surveyed aged 13 to 17 is more prevalent because they're still in school. 

Forty nine percent of youths in that age group experienced bullying because of their identity and those who were bullied were more likely to report thoughts of suicide.

The social climate in the US is something LGBTQ youth also feel victimized by, with 90 percent saying that 'their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics.'

The survey didn't go into details on what political developments these young people could be referring to, but according to the ACLU, there are 489 anti-LGBTQ bills circulating in state legislatures.

The vast majority of the bills the ACLU is tracking involve banning trans women from female school sports. Others bills mandate that those who seek gender reassignment surgery reach the age of majority before they can do so.

Legislative priorities like these are prevalent in southern and midwestern states, and they're likely why 45 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people reported considering moving to a different state.

 A girl waves a rainbow flag during a rally after the bill for same-sex marriage was approved by the Chilean senate on December 7, 2021 in Santiago, Chile. Chile, which legalized same-sex civil unions in 2015, has been discussing gay marriage since 2017

A giant trans flag unfurled outside the Supreme Court in October 2019

The Trevor Project said more acceptance is the prescription for the elevated mental health struggles LGBTQ youth are facing.

The survey found that LGBTQ people who said they lived in accepting environments 'attempted suicide at less than half the rate' of those living in unaccepting communities.

Further, transgender and nonbinary people who had their preferred pronouns used and had access to gender-affirming clothing and school bathrooms 'had lower rates of attempting suicide compared to those who did not.' 

Amit Paley, the CEO and executive director of the Trevor Project, told CBS News three years ago that LGBTQ youth are proud of who they are, despite the challenges they're facing, and need role models to reinforce that pride.

'We are seeing that 85 percent of LGBTQ young people are have pride in being LGBTQ,' Paley said in 2021.

'We know that when you see images of people who are successful, when there is less discrimination and stigmatization in society, that helps young people to be proud of themselves and that allows them to succeed and to thrive.'