Bishop pleads with President Trump for LGBTQ, immigrant communities
In a traditional service of prayer for the nation, a bishop used his moment before the president to plead with marginalized communities.
More than a quarter of a million LGBTQ+ youth and family members in the U.S. have moved to other states because of LGBTQ+-related policies or laws, according to estimates in a new report that explores the population’s response to a hostile policy environment. does
According to a brief compiled by The Trevor Project and the Movement Advancement Project, 9 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth say politics has affected their well-being, while 4 in 10 say they’ve experienced unfriendly Have considered moving to another state because of LGBTQ+ politics or laws. at home
The share was even higher for transgender and non-binary youth, 94% of whom said politics had affected their well-being and almost half (45%) who said they had considered moving. will do
“For many LGBTQ+ youth in America, the constant stream of anti-LGBTQ+ news can feel overwhelming,” said Steven Hobaika, a research scientist at the Trevor Project, a national nonprofit focused on suicide prevention. LGBTQ+ youth advocacy group. “It’s heartbreaking to see that nearly half of transgender and non-binary youth have considered moving because of anti-LGBTQ+ policies.”
While only 4% of LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 24 reported being victimized by anti-LGBTQ+ policies, that translates to approximately 266,000 youth and family members based on LGBTQ+ youth population estimates. does
The Trump administration is issuing new threats.
Report When President Donald Trump returned to the White House after making gender identity issues a focal point of his campaign. On Monday, after being sworn in, Trump issued a series of executive orders removing legal protections for transgender people in federal positions, potentially laying the groundwork for barring transgender people from military service and declaring that The US government will recognize only two. Gender, male and female.
“Regardless of a person’s political beliefs, our research and LGBTQ+ youth tell us that such policies have a detrimental effect on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth,” said Johnson Wu, of the Trevor Project. Senior Director of State. Advocacy and Government Affairs.
The organization said its crisis services looked into it A 33 percent increase On opening day compared to normal volume. But it’s still yellow, he noted, adding that crisis services increased sevenfold the day after the 2024 election.
“No matter your political beliefs or how you feel about the current administration, one thing should be clear to all of us living in the United States,” said Trevor Project CEO James Black. : Real young lives are at stake.”
Recent years have already seen a growing number of state laws and proposed legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly measures aimed at restricting transgender rights.
“It’s important that we not only draw attention to the negative impact of these divisive political attacks, but also highlight that this research supports the idea that a more inclusive policy environment for LGBT people,” said Logan Casey. leads to better outcomes for Kew’s young people across a range of measures,” said Logan Casey. Director of Policy Research for the Movement Advancement Project.
A hostile climate increases the risk of mental, emotional health.
The organizations said they compiled the report because of a lack of research on how LGBTQ+ youth respond to hostile policy environments, despite studies showing that these youth experience mental health problems in such environments. Facing more challenges and a higher risk of suicide.
“By learning more about how LGBTQ+ youth respond to their policy environment, advocates and policymakers can better support LGBTQ+ youth and their families,” the report states. can change.”
Their joint report is based on data from The Trevor Project’s 2024 US National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Youth, which included more than 18,600 LGBTQ+ individuals ages 13 to 24. Answers are collected. It also includes data from the Movement Advancement Project. , a Boulder, Colorado-based group that tracks LGBTQ+-related laws and policies across the United States and its territories and assigns each a negative or positive policy index.
More than a quarter (27%) of respondents lived in states with a negative policy index, the report said. Those individuals were more likely than their counterparts to consider moving to other states and were also more likely to travel to other states to obtain health care.
The report notes that not all LGBTQ+ youth and their families who wish to relocate have the resources to do so.
“Remarkably, the same factors that may limit the ability of LGBTQ+ youth and their families to transition, such as poverty, housing discrimination, and access to employment, are the same factors that disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ people of color. affect and increase their risk of mental health and suicide,” the report said.
