The True Causes of Transgender Suicide

Alex Mitchamore

November 14, 2022

A popular conservative argument is that transgender people are delusional and mentally ill, pointing to the high suicide rates among transgender individuals. However, conservatives often neglect to mention the true causes of such a high suicide risk, instead claiming that just being transgender, or receiving gender-affirming health care is the cause. The truth is that a number of factors contribute to a transgender person's risk of suicide, including but not limited to internal or external stigma, access to affirming health care, and an increased risk of homelessness and violence.

One major factor in a transgender person's risk for suicide is the prevalence of internal or external stigma. A study conducted in 2015 analyzed an assessment from 2003 in which transgender individuals answered questions regarding “sociodemographics, transgender identity, sexual behavior, substance use, physical health, and mental health”(Perez-Brumer, et al). The study then assessed the participants' level of internalized transphobia (internal feelings of self-hatred or stigma due to, or about one's transgender identity) and compared that data to whether the participant had considered or attempted suicide within a given time frame. It found that individuals with an increased amount of internalized transphobia were also more likely to consider or attempt suicide. Researchers also examined the impact of external stigma on the participants' risk for suicide. The study found that in areas where there was less acceptance of alternative sexual identities, there was an increase in transgender people's risk for suicide. On the other hand, in areas with more social acceptance of these identities, there was a decrease in suicide risk among these individuals (Perez-Brumer, et al).

Another important factor to consider when examining the causes of suicide in transgender people is their access to gender-affirming healthcare. Gender-affirming healthcare includes any medication or procedure that attempts to align one's physical characteristics with their gender identity. This includes, but is not limited to puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy, sex reassignment surgery, double mastectomy, breast augmentation, and facial feminization surgery. An Australian study conducted in 2021 shows that a lack of access to gender-affirming care actually increases a transgender person’s likelihood to attempt suicide. The study used an anonymous online survey to gather data about various risk factors associated with suicide attempts in self-identified, transgender, individuals and found that “not being able to access surgery but desiring it, is associated with 73% increased odds of reporting a lifetime suicide attempt” (Zwicl, et al). Furthermore, the article cited another Australian study that found that access to surgery also reduced depression in trans patients (a known risk factor for suicide). The article states that “depression was reported in 34% of those individuals who had undergone at least some form of gender-affirming surgery, compared to 51.3% in those who desire but had not undergone surgery” (Zwicl, et al).

The prevalence of homelessness, and an increased risk of violence against transgender individuals also dramatically impact their likelihood to attempt or commit suicide. Homelessness and violence are risk factors for suicide in any demographic, however, transgender individuals are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing these events than their cisgender peers. In fact, transgender individuals are also more likely to experience homelessness than those who identify with other queer labels, such as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. According to The National Alliance to End Homelessness, 63 percent of transgender individuals have experienced homelessness in their lifetime, compared to only 49 percent of their cisgender peers (“Transgender Homelessness”). Furthermore, a study conducted in 2020 showed that 8 percent of transgender adults had experienced homelessness within the last year, compared to 3 percent of those who identified with another queer label, and only 1 percent of those who did not identify as transgender or otherwise LGBTQ+ (Wilson, et al). Similarly, transgender individuals experience higher amounts of violence than cisgender individuals, which subsequently increases their risk for suicide. A study conducted by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law showed that “Transgender people are more than four times as likely to experience violent victimization than cisgender people” (Flores, et al). Considering that homelessness and violence are known risk factors for suicide, it is important to acknowledge the prevalence of these events when examining the cause of suicide in transgender people.

As with any demographic, the cause of suicide in transgender individuals is a multilayered and nuanced topic. However, research shows that there are a few significant risk factors that dramatically impact their likelihood to attempt suicide including stigma, access to affirming healthcare, and an increased risk of homelessness and violence. If we can focus on improving these issues, we can drastically improve the lives of transgender people everywhere.

Works Cited

Flores, Andrew, et al. Gender Identity Disparities in Criminal Victimization. Williams

Institute UCLA School of Law, March 2021,

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/ncvs-trans-victimization.

National Alliance to End Homelessness. “Transgender Homeless Adults and Unsheltered

Homelessness: What the Data Tells Us.” endhomelessness.org, 24 July 2020,

https://endhomelessness.org/resource/transgender-homeless-adults-unsheltered-homelessness-what-the-data-tell-us

Perez-Brumer, Amaya, et al. “Individual- and Structural-Level Risk Factors for Suicide

Attempts Among Transgender Adults.” Behavioral Medicine, vol. 41, no. 3, July

2015, pp. 164–71. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2015.1028322.

Wilson, Bianca D. M., et al. “Homelessness Among LGBT Adults in the US.” Williams

Institute UCLA School of Law, May 2020.

https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/LGBT-Homelessness-May-2020.pdf

Zwickl, Sav, et al. “Factors Associated with Suicide Attempts among Australian

Transgender Adults.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 21, no. 1, Feb. 2021, pp. 1–9.

EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03084-7.