Research brief: Discrimination among black LGBTQ+ young people and suicide risk

There is a large body of research that links experiences of discrimination to adverse mental health outcomes and suicide attempts (Vargas et al., 2020). Though there is well-documented evidence of its harm, there is a lack of research focused on groups who routinely experience discrimination on the basis of their multiple marginalized identities, such as Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ+) young people (Bowleg, 2021; Bowleg et al., 2017). This gap in knowledge is critical because of the possible additive effects of repeatedly experiencing discrimination. For example, while Black Americans on average have lower rates of suicide compared to the general population in the United States (U.S.; Stone et al., 2023), much of this research does not consider the experiences of Black LGBTQ+ young people, who experience discrimination related not only to their race/ethnicity, but also their sexual orientation and gender identities. Furthermore, this characterization fails to acknowledge that the rate of discrimination among younger Black Americans has been steadily increasing and may be detrimental to their mental health (Sheftall et al., 2022). Black LGBTQ+ young people specifically report high rates of discrimination and victimization, as well as high rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide (The Trevor Project, 2023). Using data from The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People, this brief will highlight the specific context around experiencing multiple forms of discrimination, suicide, as well sources of support for Black LGBTQ+ young people.