Fewer than half — 46% — of transgender and nonbinary young people ages 13-24 report that most or all of the people in their lives use what they consider to be their pronouns, according to data released by The Trevor Project last week. For teens ages 13-17, that percentage drops to 40%.
Transgender and nonbinary young people who were addressed by their pronouns had lower rates of suicide attempts in the past year compared to those whose pronouns were ignored — 11% vs. 17%. That's a 31% less chance of a past-year suicide attempt, according to the nonprofit that provides crisis support services for LGBTQ+ people.
The study surveyed over 12,000 youth ages 13 to 24. Its findings come as the Trump administration increasingly cracks down on LGBTQ+ issues such as pronoun and facility usage in schools, and as federal lawmakers continue to be divided over whether privacy laws protect a students' transgender or nonbinary identity from being revealed to their parents.
"Our data show that something as simple as respecting a young person's pronouns is linked to significantly lower suicide risk for transgender and nonbinary students," said Steven Hobaica, research scientist at the Trevor Project, in a statement to K-12 Dive. "Our data show that this small, everyday act can make a real life-saving difference in a young person's life. This is a public health issue that we cannot ignore."
Hobaica added that using the pronouns that the students themselves use could help improve their sense of belonging and create a positive and safe climate.
"At the same time, educators should not be placed in positions where they must choose between following a law and protecting a student's well-being," said Hobaica. "This dilemma calls for evidence-based guidance at the district level with protections for educators and policies that prioritize student safety while navigating local legal constraints."
Many controversial issues related to transgender student rights and their inclusion in school are pending in the court system, making school policies a patchwork across the nation. Legal challenges include whether transgender students should be able to use facilities and play on sports teams aligning with their gender identity, whether parents should be alerted about their pronoun use or names in school, and whether books on LGBTQ+ issues should be removed from shelves.
Approximately 7% of transgender youth ages 13-17 live in states that require revealing transgender students' identities to their guardians before school staff can use a student’s preferred name or pronouns, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
Another 7% in that age group live in states that require their identities be revealed to parents or guardians if they make specific disclosures or requests about their gender identity to school staff.
In another survey released by The Trevor Project last year, an overwhelming majority of LGBTQ+ students said their mental health was negatively impacted by anti-LGBTQ+ policies in schools.
