By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
As state and federal legislators increase attacks on the transgender community—undermining their identities and rolling back their rights— advocates are sounding the alarm on the mental health consequences and the urgent need for accessible, affirming care.
From 2018 to 2022, 48 anti-trasngender laws were enacted in the U.S. across 19 states. During that time, researchers at The Trevor Project discovered that suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth climbed by 72 percent.
Today, the transgender community faces a series of targeted executive orders from the 47th president. This includes directives to ban federal funding for youth gender-affirming care, bar transgender people from the military and prohibit schools from recognizing transgender people.
“We’ve known for a while that transgender and nonbinary people have always been subjected to heightened levels of prejudice, stigma and discrimination, and these things have always been associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide unfortunately,” said Derrick Matthews, director of research science at The Trevor Project. “At this moment, I think these things are elevated for quite a few reasons. One is that the discourse around transgender folks has gotten really vitriolic, especially among young people. On the other side is the tangible enactment of policies, which are very harmful.”
The Trevor Project is a leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for young people of the LGBTQ+ community. According to a 2024 survey from the organization, 39 percent of LGBTQ+ young people considered attempting suicide, including 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people. Additionally, 12 percent of LGBTQ+ young people attempted suicide in the past year, including 14 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people.
Having access to gender-affirming health care can be life-saving, according to Matthews.
When The Trevor Project asks transgender youth how adults can best support them, they consistently emphasize one key point: trust that young people know who they are. Matthews underscored that young people are experts in their own lived experiences and warned that rhetoric dismissing their identities can be detrimental.
The 2024 survey found that 28 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people have been physically threatened or harmed due to their gender identity.
“These conversations that are happening right now create very harmful environments for kids in schools, for people to do their jobs and for people to discuss their health needs in health care settings. They ultimately can even manifest as violence and victimization,” said Matthews. “A lot of transgender people are at heightened risk of experiencing physical threats, and there’s an epidemic of violence against trans women, especially trans women of color.”
In Maryland, members of local organizations, like Baltimore Safe Haven, are trying to respond to calls of how to move forward in the wake of attacks on the transgender community. Founded by Iya Dammons, a trans woman activist, the nonprofit exists to provide safe and supportive spaces for the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
Dammons said Baltimore Safe Haven is in the process of creating a new program to address the mental health needs of transgender people. The organization already houses a drop-in clinic where transgender individuals can receive gender-affirming care.
“The mental health state for us is scrambled right now. All we can do is to continue to fight and try to address what’s happening on a large-scale amongst trans folks. There’s a target on our back, and we don’t know what can happen with this presidential administration,” said Dammons. “But, at the end of the day, we have a great mayor and governor who understands our mental health and that our identity means so much more than the hatred that’s out there.”
Dammons encouraged transgender people to stand in their identity during these trying times. She also advised them to do what they can to protect themselves.
“This is a time when we have to be stronger than ever. You have to find places that are affirming to you, understand your gender identity and are fighting for you,” said Dammons. “Those are the safe spaces that you should be around.”
