LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Why?
Learn more about the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth.
What does “Embrace the Journey” mean?
“Embrace the Journey” is a slogan coined by a group of health professionals and LGBTQ+ youth in Louisville, Kentucky, to describe a parent’s decision to support their LGBTQ+ child. Parenting any child is a journey – but when a child is LGBTQ+, they especially need a parent’s support in order to stay happy and healthy. To “Embrace the Journey” is to accept and support an LGBTQ+ child — no matter where they are on their journey.
Why should you Embrace the Journey?
LGBTQ+ youth experience poor mental health – like depression, anxiety, and suicide. This isn’t because of their LGBTQ+ identity, but rather that LGBTQ+ youth are often bullied and mistreated for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, feel misunderstood by other peers and adults in their lives, lack access to affirming health and social services, and are made to feel that who they are is wrong, shameful or politicized.
“The pressures on gay teens can be overwhelming–to keep secrets, tell lies, deny who you are, and try to be who you’re not. Remember: you are special and worth being cared about, loved, and accepted just as you are. Never, ever let anyone convince you otherwise.”
Alex Sanchez
The largest population of LGBTQ+ communities is located in the Southern USA – including Kentucky. However, LGBTQ+ youth in the South report greater odds for a past year suicide attempt compared with other regions of the USA.
Studies show that when LGBTQ+ adolescents have support from even one adult – especially support from a parent or guardian – they are much more likely to maintain mental healthiness. When LGBTQ+ youth don’t have support from their parents, they are more likely to experience poor mental health, as well as homelessness, substance use, and other risky behaviors. A parent’s support makes all the difference.
When you embrace the journey, you make the difference for LGBTQ+ youth in your community.
“Dr. Caitlin Ryan, the director of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University, has conducted some of the first studies on how a family’s accepting and rejecting behaviors affect the well-being of LGBTQ children.
One of Dr. Ryan’s studies showed that a family’s accepting or rejecting behaviors toward a young person’s LGBTQ status has significant implications for that child’s health and well-being. Young people with high levels of family rejection were:
- eight times more likely to report having attempted suicide
- nearly six times more likely to report high levels of depression
- more than three times more likely to use drugs or have unprotected sex.
In another study, she found that family acceptance helps protect adolescents against suicidal behavior, depression, and substance abuse. Young people with accepting families also reported higher self-esteem, social support, and overall health.”
Embrace the Journey 