A new survey has revealed that almost half of transgender schoolchildren in Britain have attempted suicide.
Forty five percent of trans students have attempted to take their own life, compared with 22% of LGB youth.
It’s part of a number of findings in the School Report survey, compiled by LGBTQ charity Stonewall, which documented the experiences of 3,713 LGBTQ youth in Britain’s schools.
Among the findings:
45% of LGBTQ youth have been bullied at school
One in ten trans students are subjected to death threats at school
45% of bullied LGBTQ youth don’t tell anyone about being bullied
Only 29% say a teacher has intervened when they witnessed bullying
A third of trans students are not able to use their preferred name at school
Only 20% of LGBTQ youth have learned about safe sex in same-sex relationships
Shockingly, 84% of trans youth and 61% of LGB youth have self-harmed
96% of LGBTQ young people had to use the internet to learn more about their sexuality/gender identity
Zoe, a 12-year-old student in England, told Stonewall: “I felt like whatever I was doing was worthless. Even if I did well in school, it wouldn’t matter to people because all they would care about is me being gay.”
“I lost confidence and the power to succeed and get the best qualifications,” said George, 16, who attended a faith high school in Scotland. “I left because I was scared and I didn’t belong in that environment.”
Jack, 15, who attends high school in the South East of England, said: “I’ve been bullied all my school life, but when I came out as gay five years ago, and then as trans two years ago, the bullying increased.
“People call me a ‘he-she’, ‘tranny’, and other transphobic slurs. People also call me homophobic slurs like ‘lezza’ and ‘fag’.”
But despite the negative findings, Stonewall Chief Executive Ruth Hunt said there is cause for optimism.
“Thanks to government and cross-party support, compulsory relationships and sex education (RSE) is set to become a reality in England’s schools,” she said. “This is a vital step towards ensuring that all young people are equipped to make informed decisions about their lives and relationships.”
The survey’s findings reflect that. In 2007, 70% of students had never been taught about LGBTQ issues. That figure has fallen to 40% by 2017.
Incidences of homophobic language have also fallen. In 2007, 71% regularly heard “faggot” and other slurs while at school, a figure that now sits at 52% in 2017.
“As we look ahead, we must keep sight of our shared mission: to create a world where every young person can grow up happy, healthy and supported to reach their full potential,” Hunt said. “While much has changed over the past decade, it is clear we cannot be complacent in the fight for equality.”
Thanks to the Trump administration, policing gender is becoming the norm -- and it's about much more than trans women.
By Riki Wilchins
March 29, 2025
A Tucson Walmart called the police on a Black "stud"-identified lesbian last month, claiming a man had entered the women's room.
The two male Pima County sheriff's deputies accosted 19-year-old Kalaya Morton just after she had used a tampon and while she was in the stall still trying to pee.
They demanded that she come out immediately, which she was unable to do. Even after she finished her business and exited the stall, lifting her shirt to show the two men that she was a cisgender woman, one of the male deputies still complained that Kalaya "looked like a man."
Sheriff's deputies accused Kalaya Morton of being a "man" due to her gender expression, demonstrating how cis women can be targeted by anti-trans restroom laws.
A Black 19-year-old cisgender lesbian from Phoenix says she was humiliated after Pima County Sheriff's deputies barged into a Walmart women's restroom in Tucson that she was using last month.
Kalaya Morton, who describes herself as a "stud," and is a masculine-presenting woman, says she believes the deputies were called by a store employee who assumed she was transgender.
Speaking with The Advocate, Morton said she had entered the store restroom on February 19, along with her ex-girlfriend, who had handed her a tampon, when two male deputies stormed in, shining flashlights into the stall where she was using the toilet. They demanded that she exit the restroom.
Several corporate sponsors of San Francisco Pride, including beer giant Anheuser-Busch, have pulled their funding for the celebration's annual festivities.
Over the past four weeks, the companies have informed organizers of San Francisco Pride that they would not be able to support 2025 Pride, claiming a lack of funds as the reason.
None of the companies cited the political climate, but Suzanne Ford, the executive director of San Francisco Pride, said that it was "very abnormal" for several multi-year sponsors to drop their support.
"I just interpreted that companies are making decisions that at this time it’s not good to be sponsoring Pride," Ford told SFGATE magazine, alluding to decisions by several major corporations to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
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