According to a report from UCLA’s William Institute School of Law: the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation pushed by Republicans and right-wing extremist groups has had a colossal impact on transgender and non-binary youth. Right-wing media spent 2023 accelerating their culture war campaign in opposition to the very existence of transgender and non-binary people. In March of last year, mainstream conservatives, sharing a stage with Donald Trump himself, openly called for transgender and non-binary existence to be “eradicated” from the country. Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes, bomb threats, and rallies have continually spiked in this era of Republican-led extremist vitriol against transgender and non-binary people. This eliminationist hate has manifested itself into state laws passing in primarily Republican-led areas of the nation: ensuring that anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry is given institutional power against the youth. For these reasons and more, Human Rights Watch made history in announcing a national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States.
This UCLA report provides a comprehensive debrief on the damage inflicted on transgender and non-binary youth. Here are the key findings as listed in the report:
- 105,200 transgender youth-about one-third of transgender youth in the U.S.-live in states that ban access to gender-affirming care.
- 92,700 transgender youth ages 13-17 live in states that passed laws banning access to gender-affirming care in 2023. 26,000 transgender youth live in states with gender-affirming care bans that cannot currently be enforced due to court orders.
- 101,500 transgender youth-about one-third of transgender youth in the U.S.- live in states. that restrict access to school sports for transgender students
- 14,200 transgender youth ages 13-17 live in states that passed laws restricting access to school sports for transgender students in 2023.
- 11,100 transgender youth live in four states with sports participation bans that cannot currently be enforced due to court orders.
- 32,700 transgender youth live in states that ban transgender students from using school bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity.
- 23,600 transgender youth ages 13-17 live in states that passed laws banning transgender students from using school bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity in 2023.
According to the Trevor Project: 45% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide last year and 20% of transgender and non-binary youth attempted suicide last year. The same report notes that support from family members was proven to significantly reduce the risks of suicide amongst LGBTQ+ youth. The stakes are high, and lives are already being lost due to the anti-LGBTQ+ crusade from the United State’s right-wing ecosystem. Especially when you consider how right-wing activists and extremists openly call for transgender and non-binary youth to hang themselves during violent school board demonstrations.