The flood of online hate is harming trans & nonbinary people’s mental health

[Jessica_Rose ✅]

The flood of online hate is harming trans & nonbinary people's mental health, new study says

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/10/the-flood-of-online-hate-is-harming-trans-nonbinary-peoples-mental-health-new-study-says/ 🔗

Greg Owen (9 Oct 2026)

A new Australian study links a growing, toxic culture of anti-transgender hate online with higher rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts among trans Australians, who described the stigma they encountered online as "relentless," "omnipresent," and "inescapable."

"We found that anti-trans content in the news and social media is close to unavoidable," the study's lead author, Dr. River Zwickl, told ABC in Australia.

The study from the University of Melbourne, entitled "Mental health impacts of anti-trans stigma on transgender people in Australia: a mixed-methods study," was published in Frontiers of Public Health this summer, and notes a widening gap of poor mental health outcomes for trans Australians compared to the general population over the last two decades.

An increase in negative attention to trans people over the last year on social media and in the news coincides with the Trump administration's crusade against transgender identity in the US president's second term.

Researchers then compared the mental health outcomes for people who were exposed to the remarks multiple times a week to those who were exposed less frequently.

The correlation to poorer mental outcomes for the former group was "extraordinary," Dr. Zwickl said.

Approximately 37% and 25% reported more anxiety and depression, respectively, compared to those less exposed to anti-trans stigma, the survey found. The group exposed to more was 33% more likely to report suicidal ideation, 38% more likely to report self-harm behavior, and a remarkable 43% more likely to report suicide planning.
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@Sarah B