With recent federal cuts to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline's specialized service for LGBTQ+ youth, local community organizers want to remind struggling teens of local resources that promote emotional awareness, early intervention, and queer joy.
Those reminders come in the wake of a 2023 survey that found lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ+) teens in King County experience higher rates of depression and suicide ideation than their heterosexual and cisgender peers. According to the same data, South End queer and trans youth experience "some of the highest rates of depression" in the county, public health officials said.
Resources like 988 were created because queer youth needed them, said Ken Shulman, Lambert House executive director.
"When you take away [that] service," Shulman said, "there are going to be more kids that don't have a way to connect with a human being when they're feeling depressed or suicidal."
More than 53% of LGBQ+ teens and 56% of transgender teens experience depression, according to the most recent Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) Healthy Youth Survey.
South King County queer and trans youth had higher rates of suicide ideation and completed suicide than those in the North End.
"We know there are things that contribute not just to poor outcomes … but [also] positive outcomes for young people," PHSKC epidemiologist Sara Jaye Sanford said. "From the data, we see that LGBTQ+ young people can have less access to some of those resources."
Mental health differs from person to person, Sanford said. Feeling safe at school, having strong family connections, and having an adult they can trust are just some factors that can impact a child's mental health.
The survey showed King County heterosexual teens were about 18% more likely to have strong family relationships than their queer and trans peers. Straight teens were also 9% more likely to feel safe at school than queer teens.
Nearly 200,000 kids statewide participate in the Healthy Youth Survey every two years. The next survey will be held in October. In the meantime, officials in PHSKC encourage local schools to register their students and participate in a statewide committee to propose amendments and updates to the survey, Sanford said.
King County has a wide range of youth resources in the wake of increasing anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric, along with services for these communities being cut. Best Starts For Kids (BSFK) is a county-funded initiative that promotes emotional well-being for kids and teens. Programmers invest in early intervention and prevention, identifying the different ways young people experience stress or mental health challenges, said Makayla Wright, BSFK program manager.
"In the same way we make sure our young people know how to tie their shoes and learn how to drive, they should also learn how to cope with their emotions," Wright said. "[Talking] about mental health is not a scary thing, but a thing that is just innate to being a person."
BSFK partners with many community organizations in the county. United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance Washington (UTOPIA), a South King County organization, offers programming for young queer People of Color to provide safe spaces and connect them to their heritage.
"These young people started to open up and blossom, and connect with other young people," Wright said. "I love seeing those types of stories."
Lambert House is an LGBTQ+ youth center based on Capitol Hill, along with locations in Auburn, Federal Way, Renton, Kenmore, White Center, and more. Volunteers provide a range of social opportunities and mentorship, like Dinner with Divas, Movie Nights, and Art Group for queer and trans youth ages 14–22.
Shulman stressed that rejection from their parents and their peers is the top factor that can contribute to high rates of depression and suicide among LGBTQ+ kids and teens.
Lambert House "is a place where LGBT youth go mostly because they want to make friends and they want to feel less like an outsider," Shulman said. "They can [also] always find at least one or several volunteers who they can open up to, trust, and confide in, and seek guidance."
While their programming specializes in early intervention, Wright also reiterated that crisis support resources, like 988, are still available.
"We can normalize for young people that it is okay, that it might feel scary for you, that you might not be familiar with how to navigate this time in your life," Wright said. "Especially if you're trying to figure out who you are as a person, especially [with] what's going on politically right now."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, the following free and confidential resources are available:
988, a national suicide and crisis hotline
King County Crisis Line: 206-461-3222
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386; or text "HOME" to 741-741 for the Crisis Text Line
Children's Crisis Outreach Services (CCORS): 206-461-3222
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