#Intersex #youths face a disproportionate risk of #suicide, but research shows that having one accepting #parent can reduce the risk by 55 percent.
A Progress Pride flag and rainbow flags at the Stonewall National Monument in New York, N.Y., on June 1, 2020.
#LGBTQ #youths who are also #intersex — an umbrella term that describes those whose reproductive or sexual anatomy does not fit the typical definitions of “#male” or “#female” — have a higher risk of #suicide when compared to #LGBTQ #youths who are not #intersex, according to a new report.
But researchers say there is hope, because the data also show that one thing can help significantly reduce the risk: acceptance.
The Trevor Project, a national #youth #suicideprevention and crisis intervention group, released the research Friday in a report that explores the #mentalhealth and well-being of #intersex #LGBTQ #youths.
It found that the #intersex respondents face disproportionately high rates of #mentalhealthchallenges. For example, 48 percent of #LGBTQ #intersex #youths surveyed as part of the Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on #LGBTQ #Youth #MentalHealth reported that they seriously considered #suicide in the previous 12 months, compared to 41 percent of #LGBTQ #youths who are not #intersex.
Nearly one-fifth (19 percent) of #LGBTQ #intersex #youths reported that they had attempted #suicide in the previous 12 months, compared to 14 percent of #LGBTQ #youths who are not #intersex. That rate was even higher for younger #LGBTQ #intersex #youths: Nearly 1 in 4 (24 percent) #youths 13 to 17 years old reported having attempted #suicide in the previous 12 months, compared to 14 percent of #LGBTQ #intersex #youth ages 18 to 24.
“We already know that the rates of #mentalhealthchallenges are higher for #LGBTQ #youth compared to cisgender, straight #youth, so when we compare #intersex #youth to the already high rates among #LGBTQ #youth, we know that they’re increasingly high,” said Myeshia Price, a senior research scientist at the Trevor Project.
The research found that there are a few risk factors for poor #mentalhealth among #LGBTQ #intersex #youths. For example, 18 percent reported having been subjected to conversion therapy, a discredited practice that seeks to change someone’s #sexualorientation or #genderidentity, with 12 percent reporting that the efforts were aimed at changing their #genderidentities.
#LGBTQ #intersex #youths who said someone had tried to persuade them to change their #sexualorientations or #genderidentities reported more than twice the rate of previous-year #suicideattempts (22 percent) compared to #intersex #youths who did not (9 percent).
The report noted, however, that the recommended “treatment” for #intersex people often includes medical procedures and socialization from a #young age that could be considered conversion therapy.
“For #intersex people, this may happen in such a systemic way, involving every person in the youth’s life, and starting from birth, that #intersex #youth may not even be aware that it is happening,” the report says. “This may lead #intersex #youth to under-report their experiences with conversion therapy and other change efforts by #adults in their lives.”
In response to activism by intersex people, some #doctors have recently started re-evaluating standard medical protocol, which has historically included surgery and hormonal therapy to change #intersex youths’ appearances. Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Lurie Children’s Hospital in Boston and New York City Health + Hospitals announced this year that they would stop performing some #intersex surgery on #children.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
Price said part of the reason the Trevor Project focused the research on #mentalhealth is that #intersex #youths are often medicalized from birth and that as a result most of the available research focuses on how medical procedures affect them.
“I think it’s important to understand that #intersex #youth are so much more than their bodies,” Price said. “By understanding them as individuals and as people we believe that this report gives more attention to things that may be more important to them than the sort of medicalized approach to looking at who they are.”
The report found that other risk factors for poor #mentalhealth include discrimination, housing instability and food insecurity. More #LGBTQ intersex youths reported having experienced discrimination based on their #sexualorientation or #genderidentities (64 percent) in the previous year compared to #LGBTQ youth who are not intersex (59 percent). Those who reported having experienced discrimination reported twice the rate of attempting #suicide (22 percent) compared to #LGBTQ intersex #youth who had not experienced it (11 percent).
More #LGBTQ intersex #youths reported having faced food insecurities in the previous year and/or #homelessness, including from being kicked out or having run away, when compared to #LGBTQ #youths who are not intersex. Those who reported food insecurities and/or #homelessness reported nearly three times the rate of previous-year #suicideattempts, at 30 percent and 34 percent, respectively, compared to those who did not report food insecurities or facing homelessness, at 12 percent and 10 percent.
The report recommends policies, both in #schools and for government-issued identification, that are not built on the sex or #gender #binary of #male and #female, because both intersex and many #transgender youths do not fit into those categories.
“We talk about gendered bathrooms and locker rooms and the sports-participation #binary and documents that only allow for #male or #female sex or markers, and these are all sort of inherently excluding the reality that intersex people exist in the first place,” Price said. Sports policies that allow anyone to participate, gender-neutral bathrooms and inclusive sex-education curriculums that recognize intersex people signal to #youths “that we see you, we know you’re here and we accept you for who you are,” Price said.
Price added that the report offers hope, because it found that acceptance and affirmation significantly reduce the risk of #suicide for #LGBTQ intersex #youths. Those who had at least one #parent who was accepting of their sexual orientations or #genderidentities had 55 percent and 45 percent lower odds, respectively, of having attempted #suicide in the previous year. #Transgender and #nonbinary intersex youths whose pronouns were respected by all of the people they live with had 64 percent lower odds of reporting #suicideattempts.
“The best thing that we could do for intersex youth is to be accepting and provide that protective and supportive environment for them,” she said.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
