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🏳️‍🌈 beth.lgbt

Suicide

https://twitter.com/WhatIsAWomanBot/status/1634801971688505349

Summary

Trans people are at more risk of suicidality due to mental health stressors such as legal barriers, discrimination, lack of acceptance, harassment and assault, fear of transitioning (e.g. losing a life partner) and gender dysphoria. Gender affirming care is shown to reduce that risk dramatically. Using a high suicide rate for a minority group as an attack on said group is incorrect (as the blame is not with them) and alarmingly lacking in compassion.

First, a persistent myth…

MYTH: Suicide rates increase post-op / only increase with gender affirmation. This is a misrepresentation of the so-called “Swedish study”, which you can read more about here: https://transadvocate.com/fact-check-study-shows-transition-makes-trans-people-suicidal_n_15483.htm

In actual fact, transgender people who had received one or more gender-affirming surgical procedures had a 42% reduction in the odds of experiencing past-month psychological distress, a 35% reduction in the odds of past-year tobacco smoking, and a 44% reduction in the odds of past-year suicidal ideation1.

What are the facts?

1 in 3 trans youth attempted suicide in the past year2 and report more than 4x greater rates of suicide attempts compared with their cisgender peers, including those who are LGBQ3.

Among LGBT people, trans people are 2x more likely to think about and attempt suicide2.

But access to gender-affirming hormone therapy LGBTQ youth who report having at least one accepting adult were 40% less likely to report a suicide attempt in the past year4.

Trans people are at risk of suicide because of factors that put strain on one’s mental health, such as2:

  • Institutional prejudice, like laws and policies which create inequalities and/or fail to provide protection from discrimination.
  • Experience of discrimination (transphobia) in the form of physical or verbal harassment, physical or sexual assault.
  • Lack of support from parents and other family members.
  • Stress related to fear of transitioning, including potential backlash and life disruption, as well as considering the risks and sometimes length time period involved.
  • Gender dysphoria, or distress related to the conflict between one’s physical or assigned gender and the gender with which they identify.

The rates of suicidality are drastically reduced through2:

  • Supportive and strong relationships with family and friends
  • Completed medical transition (if desired)
  • Self-awareness and acceptance
  • Access to gender affirming health care
  • Not having access to lethal means such as guns or potentially deadly medications
  • Having one’s name and pronouns accepted

  1. https://fenwayhealth.org/new-study-shows-transgender-people-who-receive-gender-affirming-surgery-are-significantly-less-likely-to-experience-psychological-distress-or-suicidal-ideation/ ↩

  2. https://suicideinfo.ca/local_resource/trans-fact-sheet/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. https://thetrevorproject.org/blog/acceptance-of-transgender-and-nonbinary-youth-from-adults-and-peers-associated-with-significantly-lower-rates-of-attempting-suicide/ ↩

  4. https://thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Trevor-Project-Accepting-Adult-Research-Brief_June-2019.pdf ↩