Post submitted by Gabe Murchison, former Senior Research Manager

Today, HRC and researchers at the University of Connecticut are launching a major national survey of LGBTQ teens. The survey is open to teens who identify as LGBTQ, are between 13 and 17, and are living in the U.S. Eligible teens can take the survey here. The first 3,000 to take the survey will receive a set of HRC wristbands, and all participants can enter a drawing for 10 Amazon.com gift cards worth $40 each.

With the help of young people from across the U.S., the survey will answer pressing questions about what it’s like to grow up LGBTQ today, such as:

• How do rejection or support from peers, family and others shape LGBTQ young people's lives?
• What kinds of health concerns (like smoking or stress) are common among LGBTQ teens?
• How many transgender teens have their identities respected at school, and are able to access gender-appropriate facilities?
• How do intersecting identities, such as race or disability, affect the challenges and opportunities that LGBTQ youth encounter?

The survey will paint a picture of LGBTQ teens growing up in today's America: a country more familiar than ever with their identities, yet facing a terrifying backlash, particularly against communities of color, transgender people, and immigrants.

The new survey builds on HRC’s efforts to lift up the voices of LGBTQ youth. Earlier this year, HRC surveyed more than 50,000 young people (including LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ youth) about their experiences since Donald Trump’s presidential campaign began, finding that over 70 percent had witnessed bullying or harassment in that time. In 2014, HRC launched its Youth Ambassadors program, designed to “amplify the important voices of teens and young adults, and engage them in helping HRC Foundation improve the lives of LGBTQ youth at home, at school, at work, and beyond.”

This year’s survey also follows in the footsteps of the 2012 Growing Up LGBT in America report, for which HRC surveyed more than 10,000 young people about their experiences in schools, at home, and in their communities. That survey helped advocates make the case for crucial policies that keep kids safe, and helped teach families, educators, and other important adults to support the young people in their lives.

Building on that success, this year’s survey is designed to be valuable not only to advocates, but also to academic researchers (including psychologists, epidemiologists and sociologists) who study what LGBTQ young people need to grow up safe and healthy. At the University of Connecticut, the project is led by Dr. Ryan Watson and Dr. Rebecca Puhl, both faculty members in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

People of all ages can help by sharing information about the survey on social media or email. Click here to share on Facebook and here for Twitter.  

To learn more about HRC’s work with children and youth, click here.