suicide among lgbt youth suicide among lgbt youth research has found that attempted suicide rates and suicidal ideation among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (lgbt) youth are significantly higher than among the general population. part of a series onlgbt topics lesbiangaybisexualtransgender sexual orientation and gender aromanticism asexuality gray asexuality biology bisexuality pansexuality demographics environment gender fluidity gender identity gender role gender variance homosexuality non-heterosexual non-binary gender queer queer heterosexuality questioning sexual identity sex and gender distinction trans man trans woman transgender transsexual history general timeline homosexuality movements gay liberation stonewall riots identities lesbian gay men bisexuality transgender intersex culture coming out community african-american dyke march events largest events gay village homosocialization media films new queer cinema periodicals lgbt culture in new york city pride pride month parade queer art queerplatonic relationship same-sex relationship sexuality and gender identity-based cultures slang tourism symbols flags takatāpui rights adoption civil union intersex human rights marriage military service parenting rights by country or territory transgender rights yogyakarta principles health list of lgbt medical organizations reproduction transgender health care youth suicide social attitudes amatonormativity heteronormativity homosexuality and religion mixed-orientation marriage media portrayal sexual diversity stereotypes transgender people and religion issues acephobia arophobia aids stigma anti-lgbt rhetoric biphobia censorship closeted outing bullying discrimination against non-binary people discrimination against transgender men discrimination against trans women domestic violence erasure straightwashing bisexual erasure lesbian erasure trans erasure gay bashing gayphobia heterosexism homophobia intersex discrimination lesbophobia migration non-binary discrimination racism sexualism transmisogyny transphobia violence academic fields and discourse communism and lgbt rights gender studies lesbian feminism lavender linguistics lgbt conservatism queer anarchism queer studies queer theory social construction of gender socialism and lgbt rights transfeminism transgender studies travesti lgbt portal suicide social aspects altruistic copycat epidemic legislation philosophy religious views right to die voluntary euthanasia crisis assessment of risk crisis hotline (list) intervention prevention suicide watch types assisted bullying and suicide (list) copycat familicide forced honor jauhar mass murder–suicide prisoner suicide pact internet prayopavesa sallekhana sati self-sacrifice senicide seppuku sokushinbutsu suicide attack vatakkiruttal epidemiology gender differences methods rate by country youth suicide among lgbt youth history list of suicides suicide in antiquity list of suicides in the 21st century in warfare banzai charge kamikaze suicide mission related phenomena suicide attempt locations ideation major depressive disorder non-suicidal self-injury suicide note suicide terminology by country rate by country australia bangladesh cameroon canada china france greenland india iran ireland japan lithuania nepal pakistan romania russia singapore south korea spain sri lanka sweden switzerland ukraine united kingdom united states organizations compassion & choices death with dignity national center dignitas exit international final exit network hemlock society in the united states, one study has shown the passage of laws that discriminate against lgbt people may have significant negative impacts on the physical and mental health and well-being of lgbt youth; for example, depression and drug use among lgbt people have been shown to increase significantly after the passage of discriminatory laws. by contrast, the passage of laws that recognize lgbt people as equal with regard to civil rights, such as laws supporting same-sex marriage, may have significant positive impacts on the physical and mental health and well-being of lgbt youth. bullying of lgbt youth is a contributing factor in many suicides, even if not all of the attacks have been specifically regarding sexuality or gender. since a series of suicides in the early 2000s, more attention has been focused on the issues and underlying causes in an effort to reduce suicides among lgbt youth. research by the family acceptance project has demonstrated that "parental acceptance, and even neutrality, with regard to a child's sexual orientation" can bring down the attempted suicide rate. reports and studies clinical social worker caitlin ryan's family acceptance project (san francisco state university) conducted the first study of the effect of family acceptance and rejection on the health, mental health, and well-being of lgbt youth, including suicide, hiv/aids, and homelessness. their research shows that lgbt youths "who experience high levels of rejection from their families during adolescence (when compared with those young people who experienced little or no rejection from parents and caregivers) were more than eight times likely to have attempted suicide, more than six times likely to report high levels of depression, more than three times likely to use illegal drugs, and more than three times likely to be at high risk for hiv or other stds" by the time they reach their early 20s. numerous studies have shown that lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth have a higher rate of suicide attempts than do heterosexual youth. the suicide prevention resource center estimated that between 5 and 10% of lgbt youth, depending on age and sex groups, have attempted suicide, a rate 1.5-3 times higher than heterosexual youth. this higher prevalence of suicidal ideation and overall mental health problems among gay teenagers compared to their heterosexual peers has been attributed to minority stress. parents with higher levels of education or belonging to different ethnicities do not seem to provide significant impact on lgbt+ suicide statistics. in terms of school climate, "approximately 25 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual students and university employees have been harassed due to their sexual orientation, as well as a third of those who identify as transgender, according to the study and reported by the chronicle of higher education." research has found the presence of gay–straight alliances (gsas) in schools is associated with decreased suicide attempts; in a study of lgbt youth, ages 13–22, 16.9% of youth who attended schools with gsas attempted suicide versus 33.1% of students who attended schools without gsas. "lgbt students are three times as likely as non-lgbt students to say that they do not feel safe at school (22% vs. 7%) and 90% of lgbt students (vs. 62% of non-lgbt teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year." an international study found that suicidal lgbt people showed important differences with suicidal heterosexuals, in a matched-pairs study. that study found suicidal lgbt people were more likely to communicate suicidal intentions, to search for new friends online, and to find more support online than did suicidal heterosexuals. the black transgender and gender non-conforming community has been found to face discrimination to a higher degree than the rest of the transgender community, which is due to the intersection of racism and transphobia. research has found that this community experiences a higher level of poverty, suicide attempts, and harassment, while the effects of hiv and being refused health care due to transphobia and/or racism are greater as well. a survey by the national lgbtq task force found that amongst the black respondents 49% reported having attempted suicide. additional findings were that this group reported that 26% are unemployed and 34% reported an annual income of less than $10,000 per year. 41% of respondents reported homelessness at some point in their lives, which is more than five times the rate of the general us population. also, the report revealed that the black transgender or gender non-conforming community reported 20.23% were living with hiv and that half of the respondents who attended school expressing a transgender identity or gender non-conformity reported facing harassment. 27% of black transgender youth reported being physically assaulted, 15% were sexually assaulted and 21% left school due to these instances of harassment. a more recent survey by the trevor project revealed that 21% of african american lgbt youth have attempted suicide throughout 2021. amongst native american youth, 31% of lgbt youth have attempted suicide, and amongst latin american youth, 18% of survey respondents admitted they have attempted suicide in the past year. a 2022 study found that the use of gender-affirming hormone therapy in transgender and nonbinary youth was associated with a significant decrease in depression and suicidality. familial acceptance familial responses to lgbt youth identities differ from person to person. they range from acceptance to outright rejection of the lgbt individual. "family connectedness" is important in an lgbt youth's life because it will help establish a positive mental health. one of the negative outcomes of lgbt youth confiding in family members about their sexual identities is the risk of being kicked out of their homes. when these youth do not have the support and acceptance of their family, they are more likely to turn to other riskier sources. amongst transgender youth, these effects are even more pronounced. in a sample of 84 transgender youth, those that reported being strongly supported by their parents, had a 93% lower suicide attempt rate (a 14-fold difference). in a separate survey of nearly 34,000 lgbt youth, those with supportive families reported a suicide attempt rate that was less than half of those without supportive families. impact of same-sex marriage across oecd countries, the legalisation of same-sex marriage is associated with reductions in the suicide rate of youth aged 10–24, with this association persisting into the medium term. the establishment of the legal right of same-sex marriage in the united states is associated with a significant reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among children, with the effect concentrated among children of a minority sexual orientation. a study of nationwide data from across the united states from january 1999 to december 2015 revealed that the recognition of same-sex marriage is associated with a significant reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among children, with the effect being concentrated among children of a minority sexual orientation (lgbt youth), resulting in approximately 134,000 fewer children attempting suicide each year in the united states. comparable findings are observed outside the united states. a study using cross-country data from 1991 to 2017 for 36 oecd countries found that same-sex marriage legalization is associated with a decline in youth suicide of 1.191 deaths per 100,000 youth, with this reduction persisting at least into the medium term. oecd countries a study of country-level data across 36 oecd countries from 1991 to 2017 found that same-sex marriage legalization reduced the suicide rate of youth aged 10–24 by 1.191 deaths per 100,000 youth, equal to a 17.90% decrease. this decline was most pronounced in males for whom the suicide rate fell by 1.993 compared to a decrease of 0.348 for female youth, corresponding to decreases of 19.98% and 10.90%, respectively. the study worked by exploiting common factors in the youth suicide rate across time between the sample countries to econometrically estimate what the suicide rate would have been in the absence of same-sex marriage legalization for the countries and years that same-sex marriage was legal. the impact of same-sex marriage legalization could then be inferred by comparing this estimated counterfactual to the observed data across time, thereby enabling inferences to be interpreted causally. by virtue of this design, the researchers were able to establish that the association persisted at least into the medium term and that countries that recently adopted same-sex marriage (the netherlands was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001 and, as of 2017, 18 of the 36 sample countries had followed suit) also experienced declines in youth suicide. these findings indicate that future legalization in other developed countries would also engender a decrease in youth suicide over time. united states a study of nationwide data from january 1999 to december 2015 revealed an association between states that established same-sex marriage and reduced rates of attempted suicide among all schoolchildren in grades 9–12, with a rate reduction in all schoolchildren (lgb and non-lgb youth) in grades 9–12 declining by 7% and a rate reduction among schoolchildren of a minority sexual orientation (lgb youth) in grades 9–12 of 14%, resulting in approximately 134,000 fewer children attempting suicide each year in the united states. the gradual manner in which same-sex marriage was established in the united states (expanding from 1 state in 2004 to all 50 states in 2015) allowed the researchers to compare the rate of attempted suicide among children in each state over the time period studied. once same-sex marriage was established in a particular state, the reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among children in that state became permanent. no reduction in the rate of attempted suicide among children occurred in a particular state until that state recognized same-sex marriage. the lead researcher of the study observed that "laws that have the greatest impact on gay adults may make gay kids feel more hopeful for the future".