A new study published Thursday in scientific journal Nature Human Behavior connects anti-transgender legislation nationwide to “statistically significant” increases in suicide attempts by transgender youths in years subsequent to enactment.
The study collected survey data between 2018 to 2022 and found that suicide attempts for transgender and non-binary (TGNB) youths increased by seven to 72 percent a year after the enactment of anti-transgender legislation. The study wrote, “For TGNB young people, anti-transgender laws may signal a broader societal rejection of their identities, communicating that their identities and bodies are neither valid nor worthy of protection.”
The study wrote:
Legislators and other involved parties must consider negative impacts of these laws on TGNB people when enacting similar future legislation, while prioritizing legislation that fosters acceptance of TGNB people and equity. With the understanding that anti-transgender laws can directly impact the lives of TGNB people, we argue that increasing access to gender-affirming care, resources and facilities could be lifesaving for TGNB people, especially TGNB minors.
Legislation the study considered to be anti-transgender included laws limiting gender-affirming healthcare, bathroom prohibition laws, and prohibitions on transgender athletes from participating in sports aligning with their gender identities.
Laws restricting transgender rights have exploded in the last several years. 2023 broke the record for the most anti-transgender bills, with 615 bills introduced and 87 passed across the US. In May, South Carolina became “the 25th state to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for minors” upon following other states in passing a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. A month later, the US Supreme Court announced that it would review the legality of state efforts to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors in the Tennessee case of US vs. Skrmetti.
Previously, on September 9, the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s decision to allow two transgender girls to play sports in an all-girls team despite Arizona legislation barring their participation. In addition, the families of two transgender girls in New Hampshire sued high school and state officials in federal court on August 16, seeking to block HB 1205 from going into effect. HB 1205 is a state bill requiring schools to assess students’ eligibility for sports teams based on their biological sex, rather than their gender identity.
