Queer women four times more likely to have attempted suicide, new study claims

Queer women are much more likely to have attempted suicide than the overall US population, according to the latest figures.

The Urvashi Vaid National LGBTQ+ Women’s Community Survey, named after a lesbian activist who died of cancer in 2022, was published last week. It revealed that 22 per cent of LGBTQ+ women respondents had tried to take their own life, which, it reported was “more than four times” the rate of the general population.

Rates of attempted suicide were even higher for trans respondents (37 per cent) and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour who completed the survey, at 29 per cent.

The report surveyed more than 5,000 “lesbian, gay, bi, pan, queer and asexual women across a broad spectrum of genders” between June 2021 and June 2022. And LGBTQ+ women were found to have “nearly double” the rate of depression (51 per cent) and anxiety (44 per cent) of people in the general population.

Forty-seven per cent of queer women had “survived some form of intimate partner violence”, compared with 35.6 per cent of females in general, the researchers discovered.

Of the more than 2,000 respondents who had experienced such violence, fewer than 20 per cent accessed any form of institutional support or care. In 54 per cent of the cases, the police were said to be “not helpful at all”, while friends were “by far their most significant resource” (57 per cent).

“The trauma burden in this community is enormous,” said Jaime Grant, one of the researchers. The findings come more than a decade after her research showed trans people attempted suicide at a rate nine times higher than the national average, NPR reported.

And Christina Dyar, an assistant professor from Ohio State university who studies health disparities in LGBTQ+ communities, but who was not involved with the survey, told NPR: “It’s distressing to see such high trauma rates, but it’s consistent with what we’ve seen in the past.” 

The survey also looked into medical care, and how easily LGBTQ+ women were able to access healthcare. Fourteen per cent of respondents had never had a smear test, and 22 per cent said they had put off seeking help because of “disrespect and discrimination”.

Savy Elahian, who led the data analysis for the report, said: “Historically, medical spaces have not been safe for us. There’s been experimentation [on people], there’s been medical racism. It’s important to understand the historical impacts, especially for LGBTQ+ people of colour.

“LGBTQ+ women and gender-diverse people are really missing out on preventative care and holistic wellness.”

The survey also asked about the “joy and pleasure” in respondents’ lives. Answers included freedom of expression, chosen family, “freedom from patriarchal bulls**t”, queer friendship, confidence, autonomy and “sex with butch women”.

An NHS report in 2019 warned that “up to 50,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual women” in the UK had never been for a smear test because of misleading information that queer women are not at risk of contracting the human papillomavirus, some types of which can cause cancer.

Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). ​Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.

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