This article is part of State of Health, a series about how Michigan communities are rising to address health challenges. It is made possible with funding from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.
Mental health is a major challenge for Michigan youth in general, but the problem is even greater for the state's LGBTQ youth.
According to the national nonprofit Mental Health America, in 2023, 119,000 Michigan youths had at least one major depressive event and 53,000 battled a substance use disorder. Suicide is the
second leading cause of death for Michigan youth ages 10 to 24.
LGBTQ youth are
statistically at higher risk for mental health issues and substance use issues — and at
120% higher risk for homelessness. They are more likely to experience assault, trauma, depression, and suicide.
LGBTQ youth also are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. These numbers are even worse for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) LGBTQ youth, who also encounter racism. Joe Volpe, program manager at Ferndale's
Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center, says it's "super important" to support youth mental health because of the "lack of autonomy" young people experience.
"When you add on that component of identifying as LGBTQ, some of those experiences and marginalization that youth might face become compounded because of that intersection of both being young and queer," Volpe says.
Danielle Zochowski, associate director of
Ozone House Youth & Family Services in Ypsilanti, agrees. She notes that behind the stark numbers lie experiences of rejection, disrespect, and harassment from family and peers; discrimination; victimization; and feeling a need to hide one's identity due to fear of rejection or harm.
"This is a population that has a higher risk for mental health issues, substance use, and homelessness to begin with, so protecting these youths' mental health leads to better social-emotional well-being," Zochowski says. "All of the things that come with being an LGBTQ youth increases instances of depression, anxiety, and suicidality."
Toxic politics add another layer of hurt
Volpe says that today's LGBTQ youth face unique challenges, particularly as a result of being "the target of politics."
"If we're able to focus on supporting their mental health, we not only help them out in the moment, but we extend the length of their lives and create that space for them to thrive and contribute beautifully to the world in a way that their queer elders weren't able to in the past," he says.
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Nick HagenJoe Volpe at Affirmations.
Across the country, anti-LGBTQ
bills impacting schools have proposed everything from censoring LGBTQ curricula to restricting bathroom access for transgender students. Many of these bills have become law
in other states.
"Anti-LGBTQ bills push an agenda of hatred and division, causing and exacerbating discrimination," Zochowski says. "LGBTQ youth are already uncertain about their level of support for their gender identity — 'Who am I? And how do I fit in?'"
Toxic politics heighten LGBTQ youths' experience of being scapegoated. Caught in the middle of adult conflicts over their rights to be, LGBTQ youth may feel they don't have a voice, are not heard, and are not respected. Dr. Amorie Robinson, a founder and associate director in behavioral health of the Detroit-based
Ruth Ellis Center, says the effect on LGBTQ youth is "heartbreaking" and "impacts their sense of hope."
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Dr. Amorie RobinsonDr. Amorie Robinson.
"When you ban books, that signals efforts to erase and make invisible someone's identity, their very core identity and life experiences. That has impacted this sense of anxiety and depression and not feeling safe and being more hyper-vigilant," Robinson says. "These youngsters are already dealing with a lot of trauma. That feeling of not being understood and feeling unsafe can lead to much distress on a daily basis."
Offering support
The Ruth Ellis Center, Affirmations, Ozone House, and similar Michigan organizations all provide the mental health supports that LGBTQ youth so direly need. Serving LGBTQ youth in Detroit, the Ruth Ellis Center provides housing, integrated health care, outpatient and home-based therapy, parental support, a drop-in center, food, clothing, showers, and connections to community resources.
"We have experts here that work with the young people on expressing themselves, expressing their emotions, and doing interventions through art, music, spoken word, drum circles, and such," Robinson says. "Clinicians go to the youngster's home and work with the family in their environment, meeting them where they are."
In Ferndale, Affirmations offers a weekly Friday afternoon drop-in program that provides community space for youth to experiment with expressing themselves and build friendships outside of school and family.
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Nick HagenJoe Volpe at Affirmations."Having that space to thrive — maybe for the first time — as their authentic self supports their mental health and well-being," Volpe says. "All of our adults in that space are trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid because we wanted to be able to support youth in moments of crisis, but also in those moments of 'I'm not in crisis, but I could use some support.'"
Ozone House works with all homeless youth, providing residential services, case management, therapy, life skills, and connections to community resources like housing. Ozone House's Pride Zone LGBTQ+ social and support drop-in group meets two Tuesday evenings each month.
"The number one predictor of a youth's social and emotional well-being is permanent connections to adults," Zochowski says. "Just being available, being a support, and mentorship opportunities are definitely helpful, as well as gender-affirming names, pronouns, clothes, and haircuts."
Safer schools
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) recognizes that
"sexual minority youth
often face harassment, abuse, and violence in school settings that put them at greater risk for serious problems, such as substance abuse, HIV, and suicide, as well as school failure and dropout."
This
MDE also reports that LGBTQ students are three times more likely to be threatened or injured with a weapon on school property, nearly three times more likely to skip school because they feel unsafe, and nearly five times more likely to attempt suicide.
Since 2000, an MDE workshop, "A Silent Crisis: Creating Safe Schools for Sexual Minority Youth," has helped educators improve school climate and safety for LGBTQ youth. In 2014, a workshop called "Planning for Action: Next Steps for Creating Safe Schools for Sexual Minority Youth" was introduced to go into greater depth.
"I would recommend taking the training that the Michigan Department of Education has. This training is reputable, and it has been a model to other school systems around the country," Robinson says. "They go through a lot of different strategies that could be helpful for youth."
Volpe says Michigan is doing well in supporting the LGBTQ community broadly. But when it comes to LGBTQ youth in schools and other places that they access services, adults' intentions don't always align with young people's experience.
"I work with a lot of youth who are homeschooled because the school environment might not be the safest for them to come out, to publicly transition," Volpe says. "Oftentimes, our center gets requests for recommendations for affirming spaces. That list is a bit limited, and even when we can provide the list, it's not always locations that are accessible."
A 2024 survey by The Trevor Project found that "LGBTQI+ students who find their schools to be affirming experience lower suicidality. Even one supportive adult — such as a teacher — can decrease suicide risks for an LGBTQI+ young person by
as much as 43 percent."
"There's benefits when schools have
GSAs, gender and sexuality alliance clubs. In schools that have those, LGBTQ youth have a greater sense of safety and support," Volpe says. "But sometimes, it's just one teacher, one counselor, that youth identify as safe that makes a difference in those environments."
According to Robinson, Michigan's LGBTQ youth continue to be at risk in school, at home, and in their communities.
"They're in need of support, advocacy, and services by culturally responsive providers. They need care that's going to make a difference in their lives," Robinson says. "We've got to find ways to destigmatize the stigma and support those efforts. It might mean changing laws, policies, institutions, and the way that people are trained. Give that young person a chance to talk about who they are without judgment, without conditions applied, without hitting them on the head with your own beliefs. They need hugs. They need validation."
Estelle Slootmaker spends most workdays as a journalist and book editor. She also writes poetry and has two books underway: her great great grandmother’s memoir of childhood on Mackinac Island and a children's picture book. You can contact her at [email protected].
Joe Volpe photos by Nick Hagen. Dr. Amorie Robinson photo courtesy of the subject.