Politics impact young LGBTQ+ Michiganders' mental health

[Jessica_Rose]

Politics impact young LGBTQ+ Michiganders' mental health

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/politics-impact-young-lgbtq-michiganders-mental-health/ar-AA1AG5MK?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=297a81bb51a54550a1a4706a613ad310&ei=139

Story by Annalise Frank (11 March 2025)

Despite some recent strides in LGBTQ+ acceptance in Michigan, mistreatment and stigma are still contributing to high anxiety and depression among young people, a new report finds.

Why it matters: An estimated 6% of adult Michiganders identify as LGBTQ+, with higher counts for younger folks — 16% of those 18-24. Plus, the overall amount of queer and trans Americans who publicly identify themselves continues to rise.

State of play: More than a third of young LGBTQ+ Michiganders seriously considered suicide in the last year. The figure is higher for transgender and nonbinary youth — 42%.

That's according to new research from crisis intervention organization The Trevor Project, which surveyed more than 600 Michiganders ages 13-24 in fall 2023.

By the numbers: Of Michigan's LGBTQ+ youth, 68% reported anxiety and 52% depression in the last year. More than 20% reported being physically harmed or threatened based on their identity.

Nearly all of them said politics hurt their well-being a lot or sometimes.

Nearly half of those who wanted mental health care didn't receive it, due to issues like fear and lack of affordability.

Context: These mental health outcomes are "not innate to who LGBTQ+ people are," Ronita Nath, The Trevor Project's vice president of research, tells Axios. "Rather, they are ... because of the stigma and discrimination they experience in society, and research bears that out again and again."