Forty-Two Percent of LGBTQ Youth Seriously Considered Suicide in 2020. How Can You Help?

Almost onethird or 31 percent of indigenous LGBTQ youth reported attempting suicide followed by 21 percent each of Black and multiracial LGBTQ youth and 18 percent of Latino LGBTQ youth all greater than the 12 percent of white Asian American and Pacific Islander LGBTQ youth More thanamp160nine out of 10 LGBTQ youth said recent politics negativelyamp160affected their mental healthThe data draws from online surveys of nearly 35000 youth conducted between October and December 2020 quotYou can see this as wave upon wave just building and building until for a lot of LGBTQ youth it just feels like it39s too muchquot says Sam Brinton the Trevor Project39s Vice President of Advocacy and Government AffairsOnlyamp160one in three LGBTQ youth said their home was LGBTQaffirming although the survey found that youth whose pronouns were respected and who were allowed to change their legal markers were less likely to attempt suicideWhat can your business do How can you helpFirst be mindful of your language When you speak about this population do so kindly Jokes or comments made may not be intentionally harmful but they can harm Some feel as if such jokes are fine if everyone knows they are jokes or if no LGBT individuals are in the conversation but they perpetuate homophobia transphobia and a culture that some people are lesser than othersIn addition be mindful of your language about suicide It used to be referred to as quotcommitting suicidequot but we now know that this is hurtful as it both criminalizes the person39s death and it removes the humanity from it When someone dies by suicide they were not selfish or shortsighted they were in significant pain may have had a mental illness diagnosed or undiagnosed and those who loved them are grievingYou also want to be mindful that quips about how some type of task or conversation quotmakes me want to kill myselfquot or miming a gun to the head to a coworker may cause significant harm to others who are not safe or who are grieving a loss to suicideNext think about what your company can do to support mental health When there is a culture of taking mental health seriously you guide your adult employees to also be more caring about the mental health of others including their kids You can do this by not questioning someone39s need to use PTO or a sick day Those who need breaks for mental health reasons often do not take them out of fear of how to explain them when questioned Letting employees know they won39t be interrogated and encouraging them to take time when they need helps to support mental health amongst staffYou can also choose to support a mental health charity As we focus on LGBT youth The Trevor Project is a great option as is TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation Each of these orgs support the mental healthcare of LGBT youth by affirming them and supporting their needs Some companies offer opportunities to wear jeans or a silly hat or a costume to the office if the employee buys the right to do so with the money going toward a charity Others have a fun run for charity There are also companies that choose charities to support with annual donations or offer an opportunity for employees to donate a portion of each paycheck to a designated beneficiary In each of these cases intentionally choosing an organization that supports LGBT youth helps to care for youth in crisis and in needLastly be proactive While donating to crisis support is critical in saving lives at risk your company can choose to support the success of LGBT youth You can reach out to your local schools and offer to advertise in the schools39 student newspapers or to their school plays or to fund awards ceremonies for successful students You can also choose to offer internships to LGBT youth allowing them to see themselves as productive career professionalsWhatever methods you choose prioritizing and supporting LGBT youth allows them to see that businesses and business leaders value them and their lives which can result in the lessening of both selfharm and in suicidalityIf you or a loved one is in crisis please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1800273TALK 8255 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 74174 You can also contact The Trevor Project at 18664887386 or TheTrevorProjectorg Click the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Forty-Two Percent of LGBTQ Youth Seriously Considered Suicide in 2020. How Can You Help?

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Kryss Shane

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Forty-Two Percent of LGBTQ Youth Seriously Considered Suicide in 2020. How Can You Help?

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