Content warning: This article discusses suicide, self-harm, and mental health challenges affecting LGBTQ+ youth.
The Trevor Project, which describes itself as the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people, just released its seventh annual National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People. The Trevor Project surveyed more than 16,000 LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 13-24 across the United States, to find out their experience with accessing mental health care, factors for suicide risk, how anti-LGBTQ+ policies are affecting them directly and more. The 2025 survey reflected some small improvements from 2024, but the landscape for LGBTQ+ youth still remains challenging, especially for transgender and nonbinary youth.
Perhaps the biggest change from 2024’s survey to 2025 is the rate of suicidal ideation. In 2024, the Trevor Project reported that “39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year — including 46% of transgender and nonbinary young people.” In 2025, those numbers dropped to 36% for LGBTQ+ young people and 40% of trans and nonbinary young people. However both last year and this year’s surveys show that LGBTQ+ youth of color are at higher risk than their white peers.
There were positive movements in the question regarding access to mental health care. In 2024, 50% of respondents seeking access to mental health care were not able to get it. In 2025, that number decreased to 44%.
Reports of threats and physical harm had also dropped slightly from 2024 to 2025, according to the survey. Threats of violence and incidents of harm dropped from 23% to 21% in general for LGBTQ+ youth, while threats against trans and nonbinary youth dropped from 28% to 23%.
As in 2024, 90% of respondents said that anti-LGBTQ+ policies are causing them stress and anxiety.
The data also revealed a stark connection between access to gender-affirming care and suicide risk. Transgender and nonbinary young people who were unable to access hormones to support their gender transition were nearly twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to those who could access that care. This is particularly significant given the current wave of legislation targeting gender-affirming care for minors, and the survey reflects that anxiety directly: 87% of transgender and nonbinary young people currently using hormones said they were concerned about losing access.
The young people surveyed also shared how adults and allies can help support them, with “Trusting that I know who I am” leading the list with 88%, “Not supporting politicians that advocate for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation” at 85%, “Standing up for me” at 80% and “Respecting my pronouns” at 72%.
To read the full survey, visit thetrevorproject.org/survey-2025/