Government researchers are blaming depression and other social ills on a lack of support for transgender students.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published a survey detailing the “disparities” between transgender and cisgender students’ school experiences.
The survey reports 5.5% of high school students are either transgender or “questioning.”
In comparison, only 1.6% of adults aged 30-49 identify as transgender or nonbinary, according to the Pew Research Center. Even fewer (0.3%) experience gender confusion beyond the age of 50.
About two-thirds of transgender high schoolers “reported female sex” and a “higher proportion identified as white” rather than black.
The CDC recorded a variety of subpar outcomes for gender-confused students, such as:
Roughly 25% missed school because they felt unsafe;
40% were bullied;
Between 65-70% reported poor mental health or persistent symptoms of depression;
Half seriously considered attempting suicide;
About 10% also experienced housing instability.
Researchers seemed uninterested in other contributing factors besides transgender status.
“Transgender and questioning persons experience stigma, discrimination, and social marginalization related to their gender as a result of institutionalized social norms that privilege cisgender persons,” researchers wrote.
“The findings in the report demonstrate that transgender and questioning students experience more violence, less school connectedness, more unstable housing, poorer mental health, and more suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender peers, underscoring the need for interventions to create safe and support environments for transgender and questioning students.”
The CDC goes on to say schools should affirm student pronouns, host GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) clubs, and promote other pro-LGBTQ policies.
Many medical groups in the United States have notably continued to push pro-transgender policies while other Western countries that once championed “transgender care” are now hitting the brakes in light of new research calling such practices into question.
