By Orion Rummler, Photo: Nolwen Cifuentes/Getty Images, The 19th*, January 10, 2022
Many LGBTQ+ youth reported high stress, anger, sadness and fear for the future at the end of 2021, and reported struggling to access basic needs during the pandemic, according to a new online poll published Monday by Morning Consult andLGBTQ+ youth crisis organization the Trevor Project.
Much of the stress and sadness was caused by the record number of bills introduced last year aiming to restrict transgender kids’ ability to play sports at school or access gender-affirming care. Two-thirds of the surveyed LGBTQ+ youth, all aged 13 to 24, said debates surrounding anti-trans bills last year negatively impacted their mental health. Among the trans and nonbinary youth surveyed, 85 percent said their mental health suffered, with 37 percent saying the effect was severe.
“To have two-thirds of kids say that is shocking and something we should really pay attention to,” said Ryan Watson, associate professor at the University of Connecticut who has researched the experiences and health risks facing LGBTQ+ teenagers.
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