I’m proud to share our latest report with you, Kind Communities: Perspectives from LGBTQ+ Young People, a continuation of our 2017 Kind Communities study which seeks to understand the factors that impact youth mental health and underscores the importance of kindness in our society. In this first release of our 2023 Kind Communities report, we explore how communities perceive and experience kindness, taking into account the specific challenges LGBTQ+ youth face in an increasingly divisive United States.

• LGBTQ+ youth have long been more likely than non-LGBTQ+ peers to rely on an online community to support their mental health, and they increasingly value the ability to share their experiences online rather than turn online for anonymity.
• Whether in school or the workplace, LGBTQ+ youth are significantly less likely to be in a community where others are kind to them compared to non-LGBTQ+ peers.
• LGBTQ+ students reported an 18% drop in feelings of kindness in their community in the last six years. The portion of all young people who rate their school or work community as kind has dropped since 2017 – most of all among LGBTQ+ young people.
• 1-in-3 transgender youth, regardless of race, rate their mental health as “poor.” LGBTQ+ youth overall are much less likely than their non-LGBTQ+ peers to rate their emotional health highly.
• 47% of LGBTQ+ youth feel they have the resources to deal with being harassed online.
• 44% of BIPOC LGBTQ+ youth report feeling worried that they will experience bullying compared to 37% of white cisgender LGBTQ+ youth.
• 45% of transgender and/or nonbinary youth report feeling worried that they will experience bullying compared to 37% of white cisgender LGBTQ+ youth.

Click here to read the full report.

I hope when you read this report, you will feel the urgent need to act toward change, as we do at Born This Way Foundation, to build a world where all young people, especially those who are historically excluded, have access to kind, safe, affirming spaces with resources to support their mental health.

To find an LGBTQ+ center near you, please visit lgbtqcenters.org/btwfoundation.