The Trauma Experience within the LGBTQ+ Community

Understanding the changing population is one step in the direction of helping people live their best life.  Sexuality and sexual orientation are one of the cornerstones of an Everyday Life.  Yet we as a society still struggle with acceptance of our peers. The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey reports that 1 in 3 LGBTQ youth have been physically threatened or harmed due to their identity.  Further, many people experience rejection from their families or loved ones when they come out. An estimated 29% of LGBTQ youth have been kicked out of their homes, run away, or become homeless.

According to the National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021 by the Trevor Project, 42% of LGBTQ youth considered attempting suicide in the past year. This stat included more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.  The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that 40% of transgender respondents reported attempting suicide in their lifetimes. This is almost nine times the rate in the United States (4.6%). This figure was higher in transgender folks with disabilities (56%).  In addition, the past-year rates of suicide attempts were higher in People of Color, including American Indian, multiracial, Black, and Latinx individuals.

According to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, trauma in LGBTQIA+ individuals can include:

Adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) are often victims of discrimination simply because they have a disability. People with ID who identify as LGBTQ+ face further bullying and harassment simply because of who they choose to love or how they express their identity. Inclusive sexuality training for adults with ID and their supporters would be a step in the right direction. This training could address issues that all LGBTQ+ individuals face, such as:

It is our job as service providers and other caregivers to help LGBTQ+ adults with ID understand their rights as they attempt to build meaningful lives in a society that often seems homophobic and transphobic.

References:

• bullying
• harassment
• traumatic loss
• intimate partner violence
• physical and sexual abuse
• traumatic forms of societal stigma, bias, and rejection

• understanding what it means to be LGBTQ+;
• obtaining information on how to come out to family and friends;
• learning about and observing safe sex practices; and
• identifying appropriate community resources (i.e. therapists and support groups).

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/seasonal-affective-disorder

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/seasonal-affective-disorder