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”40965.0%15429.7%
“I wasn’t allowed to dress or present in the way that fits my gender identity” [2]5745.2%1414.9%
“I experienced unwanted sexual contact”15424.8%8516.4%
“I was physically attacked”14323.0%295.6%
“I left school because the mistreatment was so bad”528.5%173.3%
“I was expelled from school”142.3%40.8%
[1] Table does not include participants who reported the question did not apply to them.
[2] This question only displayed for individuals who did not report being cisgender.

Other Negative Experiences within the Past Three Years [1] 

FrequencyPercent
None of these35446.1%
Teased, bullied, or intimidated you26734.8%
Verbally harassed you23730.9%
Shunned you or cut off their relationship with you22429.2%
Denied you equal treatment or services in areas of business, a government agency, or a public place7710.0%
Physically attacked you364.7%

Participants’ Awareness of Anti-discrimination Policies at School

Sexual OrientationFrequencyPercent
Yes12854.2%
No187.6%
Unsure9038.1%
Gender IdentityFrequencyPercent
Yes10444.1%
No2611.0%
Unsure10644.9%
Gender ExpressionFrequencyPercent
Yes8938.0%
No2611.1%
Unsure11950.9%

Adverse Childhood Experiences

0%
of youth reported suicidal ideation (3x the national average).
0%
of youth reported having attempted suicide (3x the national average).