Bright Spots and Progress
Many youth are reporting generally positive experiences with family.
- For participants under 20, 61.2% reported none of the listed negative experiences with family.
- For participants 19 and younger, 3 out of 4 reported at least one such positive experience.
Youth reported utilizing a range of community programs and services.
- Nearly 3 in 5 participate in Gender & Sexuality Alliances.
- Roughly 1 in 3 benefit from Youth Services of Tulsa, Oklahomans for Equality, and the support of a mental health counselor or teacher.
- Others reference support from Girl Scouts, Camp Fire, and PFLAG.
Many are reporting lower rates of negative experiences in school so long as they are aware of anti-discrimination policies in place.
- 3 in 4 students who reported policies for gender identity and/or gender expression said they were able to present in accordance with their gender identity in school.
Challenges
Negative experiences are common.
- Nearly two-thirds reported at least one of the listed negative experience happening to them in school — 15% higher than the percentage of youth who reported bullying or harassment at school in 2009.
A high percentage of participants reported that their schools do not have, or that they are unaware of, anti-discrimination policies regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression — indicating that there is room for improvement among districts to adopt such policies and ensure that students are aware of them.
Youth are struggling with mental health and psychological distress.
- Regarding the 4 measures of wellbeing used in this study — hope, flourishing, social support, and civic engagement — youth reported significantly lower levels than adults.
- Nearly two-thirds of youth reported anxiety, depression, or serious psychological distress — significantly higher than the rates reported by adult SGM respondents. The rate of psychological distress among SGM youth is 12-15x higher than the rate of the general population.
- Suicidality is strikingly high among SGM youth. 59.1% of youth (3x the national average) reported suicidal ideation, and 21.5% of youth (3x the national average) reported having attempted suicide.
- Youth participants reported relatively high rates of substance use. 30% reported using tobacco products and 28% reported marijuana use without a prescription within the past month, and nearly 1 in 4 reported having used illicit drugs in their lifetime.
Additional Data
Negative Experiences in School (K–12) and College or Vocational School [1]
| Frequency (K-12) | Percent (K-12) | Frequency (College) | Percent (College) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “I was verbally harassed” | 409 | 65.0% | 154 | 29.7% |
| “I wasn’t allowed to dress or present in the way that fits my gender identity” [2] | 57 | 45.2% | 14 | 14.9% |
| “I experienced unwanted sexual contact” | 154 | 24.8% | 85 | 16.4% |
| “I was physically attacked” | 143 | 23.0% | 29 | 5.6% |
| “I left school because the mistreatment was so bad” | 52 | 8.5% | 17 | 3.3% |
| “I was expelled from school” | 14 | 2.3% | 4 | 0.8% |
[2] This question only displayed for individuals who did not report being cisgender.
Other Negative Experiences within the Past Three Years [1]
| Frequency | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| None of these | 354 | 46.1% |
| Teased, bullied, or intimidated you | 267 | 34.8% |
| Verbally harassed you | 237 | 30.9% |
| Shunned you or cut off their relationship with you | 224 | 29.2% |
| Denied you equal treatment or services in areas of business, a government agency, or a public place | 77 | 10.0% |
| Physically attacked you | 36 | 4.7% |
Participants’ Awareness of Anti-discrimination Policies at School
| Sexual Orientation | Frequency | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 128 | 54.2% |
| No | 18 | 7.6% |
| Unsure | 90 | 38.1% |
| Gender Identity | Frequency | Percent |
| Yes | 104 | 44.1% |
| No | 26 | 11.0% |
| Unsure | 106 | 44.9% |
| Gender Expression | Frequency | Percent |
| Yes | 89 | 38.0% |
| No | 26 | 11.1% |
| Unsure | 119 | 50.9% |
Adverse Childhood Experiences
0%
of youth reported suicidal ideation (3x the national average).
0%
of youth reported having attempted suicide (3x the national average).