LGBTQ+ people who weren’t supported at home or during their education are half as likely to be happy in early adulthood, according to Just Like Us’ new Positive Futures report.
The report, which surveyed 3,695 people aged 18 to 25 across the UK, including 1,736 adults, discovered a correlation between poor mental health, wellbeing and career prospects in early adulthood and lack of support for LGBTQ+ children.
Key findings include that LGBTQ+ people are three times more likely to lack confidence in finding a career they’ll enjoy and half as likely to be happy in adulthood as their cis-het counterparts (43% vs 85%).
LGBTQ+ young adults from “unsupportive school and home backgrounds” were half as likely to feel good about themselves (41% vs 89%) and more than four times as likely to ‘rarely or never’ feel close to other people (49% vs 11%).
Additionally, LGBTQ+ young adults are twice as likely to have experienced suicidal thoughts and feelings (85% vs 39%), more than twice as likely to have self-harmed (71% vs 33%) and more likely to be depressed (82% vs 42%).
Amy Ashenden, interm CEO of Just Like Us, said: “LGBT+ young people deserve to feel safe and supported both at home and at school, and it’s heartbreaking to see the prolonged, devastating impact in early adulthood when this is not the case. I’d like to thank Deloitte for supporting Just Like Us to produce this landmark report, with research independently conducted by Cibyl.
“From their mental health, hopes for the future and career prospects to their relationships with themselves and others, our Positive Futures report clearly shows that supporting LGBT+ children is absolutely vital for their chances of happiness and success as adults.
“We invite everyone who works with or cares for a LGBT+ young person to read the report and be vocal about their support. Young people desperately need to hear that the adults in their lives unequivocally believe that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans does not make you lesser than but is in fact something to be celebrated – otherwise we will see another generation facing the heartwrenching outcomes detailed in the report.
“I’d like to particularly call upon teachers to join us in taking part in School Diversity Week this 26-30 June, and show young people that being LGBT+ is nothing to be ashamed of – a message that young people still desperately need to hear in their everyday lives.”
You can find the full report at www.justlikeus.org.
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