Here are some important statistics related to trans youth:
(from a 2019 Canadian Medical Association Youth Health survey)
-77% of trans-youth have avoided using public washrooms for fear of being harassed, assaulted or outed as trans
-66% do not feel safe in school washrooms
-58% are not comfortable talking to their health practitioner about gender care
-transgender youth are 5 times more likely to think about suicide and 7.6 times more likely to attempt it, compared to other youth.
-only 47% of trans and non-binary youth live in their felt gender full-time, 38% live it part-time and 15% never live their felt gender. (Felt gender: the gender someone knows themselves to be inside, not the gender they are labeled with.)
One youth said: “It’s not fair that, on a daily basis, we have to think about how safe we are, or will be, when accessing public space.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health and having suicidal thoughts, please reach out to someone you trust. You can also call:
9-8-8 is a new national three-digit helpline that provides urgent, live support by phone and text for anyone who is thinking about suicide, or who is worried about someone they know.
Phone or text: 9-8-8