First national estimate of trans youth reveals devastating mental health crisis

3.3% of high school students in the United States identify as transgender, with an additional 2.2% still questioning their gender identity, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While about half of cisgender students reported being female, about two thirds of trans or questioning students identified as such. The report also found more white than Black students identify as trans.

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Trans students also appear to be more open when it comes to sexuality. While almost 80% of cisgender students said their sexual identity was heterosexual, only 8.7% of trans students and 7.5% of questioning students said the same.

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The study provides the first nationally representative estimate of trans youth and also calls for more interventions to create safer and more supportive environments for this demographic.

“The findings in the report demonstrate that transgender and questioning students experience more violence, less school connectedness, more unstable housing, poorer mental health, and more suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender peers,” the report states.

40% of trans and questioning students reported being bullied at school, and 26% said they attempted suicide in the past year. In comparison, only 5% of cisgender males said the same.

Indeed, the Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People confirmed the importance of affirming spaces, finding that LGBTQ+ youth with access to such spaces are less likely to attempt suicide. Trans and nonbinary youth were also less likely to have attempted suicide if they had access to gender-affirming clothing and gender-neutral bathrooms at school and also if the people they live with respected their pronouns.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.

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