Preventing Suicide in the 2SLBGTQIA Community

Supporting 2SLBGTQIA mental health is key to reducing suicidal thoughts within this community. 2SLBGTQIA youth are more likely than other youth to have suicidal thoughts, so it is important that we show love, kindness and acceptance to help support their mental health. Fear of not being accepted and being rejected by family and friends greatly increases the risk if suicide. Listed below are resources to help you understand suicide among 2SLBGTQIA people, where you can go if you are in need of help, and teach you how to support our 2SLBGTQIA community.

There are also helplines you can call:

LGBT Youth Helpline: call 1-800-268-9688 or text 647-694-4275

Trans Lifeline: call 1-877-3330-6366

Children With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Parents

This 2 page factsheets talks about what effect having LGBT parents has on children and raising children in a LGBT household.

Definitions

Terms are always changing in the LGBTQ+ community. This list is updated as often as possible to keep up with the rapid proliferation of queer and trans language. Please check it out so you are able to support the LGBTQ+ community and use terms correctly, hopefully resulting in less suicide among their community.

Gender Grammar

This quick resource provides definitions about the different genders that exist. Understanding these terms and using them correctly can improve the lives of the 2SLBGTQIA community and can help prevent suicide.

Graphics

Here you can access multiple graphics that provide information and resources on various topics related to LBGTQ mental health. Reviewing and sharing these graphics can help inform the public on important issues among the LGBTQ community and may explain their suicide rates and inform you on what you can to do help.

Homelessness Among LGBTQ

LGBTQ individuals face many unique hardships, one of the larger ones being homelessness. This fact sheet give some information about homelessness among the LGBTQ population as well as provides resources.

Sexual Minorities And Suicide Prevention

This 3 page factsheets talks about Why are LGB people at risk? What can reduce risk? Warning signs What can LGB people do to stay mentally healthy? What can LGB people do to stay mentally healthy? What can communities do to help reduce suicide among LGB people? What can we all do to help reduce suicide among LGB people?

Trans People And Suicide 

This 3 fact sheets talks about why trans people are at risk, What can we all do to help reduce suicide among trans people? What can reduce risk? What can trans people do to stay mentally healthy?

Sexual Minorities And Suicide Prevention Toolkit

This 16 page guide discuses if LGB people are more at-risk of suicide, warning signs, protective factors, and LGB bullying prevention in schools.

Transgender People And Suicide Toolkit

This 16 page guide discusses if trans people are more at-risk of suicide, transitioning as both protective and risk factor, transgender bullying prevention in schools.

Welcoming Our Trans Family And Friends

The scope of this 65 page guide is to focus on providing support to parents, families and friends of transgender and gender non-conforming youth and adults. This publication includes insights from the parents of transgender children, professional viewpoints from experts on gender issues and information from educators about how to support young people at home and at school. And, it includes comprehensive information on terminology, a terrific list of other resources and unique advice on how to embrace your transgender or gender non-conforming loved one, and help them feel more comfortable as they strive to live openly, honestly and authentically as who they are.

A Month Of Queer Thriving 20 Ways To Queer Your Classroom

A high school teacher in Ontario created this resource that is designed to take some of the guesswork out of finding innovative ways of engaging students while employing queer and trans pedagogical practices. It can be used to foster queer thriving via teaching practice in concrete, practical, but perhaps unexpected ways. Check out this 16-page guide for more information.

Halifax Pride

The Halifax Pride Festival is an annual 11 day gathering in the Halifax Regional Municipality for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. It features over 150 community and Pride organized events celebrating the history, culture, activism, and perseverance of the queer community. While the Halifax Pride Society organizes a number of large and small scale events, they engage actively with various queer groups and individuals throughout the year to support them in the planning of their own events and activities. Check out their website for more information!

prideHealth

prideHealth is a Nova Scotia based program that works to improve access to safe, coordinated, comprehensive primary health care for people who are part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. prideHealth provides services like referrals to affirming mental health and addictions providers, information and referrals for gender-affirming care, information about sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) testing and treatment services, and information about community resources such as peer support, advocacy, and social groups. Check out their website to see how you can access their services in your zone.

The Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project

The Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project (NSRAP) seeks equity, justice, and human rights for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Nova Scotia. NSRAP seeks to create change in our communities and our society at large so that all 2SLGBTQIA+ people are included, valued, and celebrated. They will achieve this through building community and developing strong networks outside of the community in addition to public outreach, education, and political action. Visit their website for more information!

QTBIPOC Mental Health and Well-Being

QTBIPOC people who are BIPOC often face barriers to treatment and care because of mistrust of the medical community, and high un-insurance rates among many other societal injustices. Here on their website, the Human Rights Campaign has a list of resources for QTBIPOC mental health and wellness.

Trans Student Educational Resources

Trans Student Educational Resources is a youth-led organization dedicated to transforming the educational environment for trans and gender non-conforming students through advocacy and empowerment. Founded in 2011, it is the only national organization led by trans youth. Check out their website for more information on what they do and how they strive to improve their lives and mental health!

The Youth Project

The Youth Project is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing support and services to youth, 25 and under, around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. They have a provincial mandate and host staff/volunteers in the HRM, Cape Breton, the Valley, and the South Shore and travel around the province to meet with youth in other communities. They provide a variety of programs and services including support groups, referrals, supportive counselling, a resource library, educational workshops, social activities. Their mission is to make Nova Scotia a safer, healthier, and happier place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth through support, education, resource expansion and community development. Check out their website for more information and support!

Cumulative Minority Stress And Suicide Risk Among LGBTQ Youth

Across all identities, findings highlight the need for interventions and research to apply the minority stress model through a cumulative lens that goes beyond examining the unique influence of salient risk factors. Suicide risk is cumulative; therefore, it is important that models for understanding it also embody a cumulative approach. Doing so will provide a more comprehensive understanding of suicide risk among marginalized populations that can push forward policy and practice‐based solutions to reducing disparities.

Minority Stressors, Social Provisions, and Past-Year Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts in a Sample of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression Minority People in Canada

Mental health disparities in sexual orientation and/or gender identity and/or expression (SOGIE) minority groups are well-documented, with research consistently showing higher levels of suicidality, even in Canada, considered one of the world’s most accepting countries of SOGIE minority groups. Adverse outcomes in these groups are often framed using minority stress theory, with social support frequently studied as an integral buffer to these outcomes. This analysis explores facets of minority stress and social support associated with past-year suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Findings emphasize that a fulsome, multilevel approach considering structural, community, and individual strategies to address overt discrimination, integrating social connections and guidance, is necessary to prevent dying by suicide.

Suicide Risk Factors among LGBTQ Youth: Review

Suicide is a tragic and costly yet preventable issue in public health that affects people of all races, ethnicities, ages, genders, and sexual orientation in the United States (US) and worldwide. Over the years, suicide has remained the third leading cause of death for youths between 15-24 years of age in the US Suicide and self-inflicting injurious behaviours in LGBTQ adolescents are associated with mental health challenges that include lack of acceptance from peers, discrimination, family rejection, and school failure. The purpose of this article is to report current suicide statistics by demographics, discuss suicide risk and protective factors, and review prevention strategies and intervention efforts.

Review of Current 2SLGBTQIA+ Inequities In The Canadian Health Care System

Gender identity and sexual orientation are determinants of health that can contribute to health inequities. In the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, belonging to a sexual and/or gender minority group leads to a higher risk of negative health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and cancer, as well as maladaptive behaviors leading to poorer health outcomes such as substance abuse and risky sexual behavior. Empirical evidence suggests that inequities in terms of accessibility to health care, quality of care, inclusivity, and satisfaction of care, are pervasive and entrenched in the health care system. A better understanding of the current Canadian health care context for individuals of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is imperative to inform public policy and develop sensitive public health interventions to make meaningful headway in reducing inequity. Researchers, educators, and practitioners should invest in health care professional training and future research should evaluate the effectiveness of interventions on staff attitudinal changes toward the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the impact on patient outcomes.