Sometimes research comes in what feels like the aftermath of a truth a community—especially a marginalized community—already knows and accepts. That doesn’t mean the science is any less important, of course, especially when we’re still in the stages of appealing to folks who don’t understand or relate to the issue at hand. One recent example? A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health on Tuesday, Dec. 10 finds that trans and nonbinary youth who receive gender-affirming health care—specifically in the form of gender-affirming hormonal therapy—have significantly lower rates of not only depression but also suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. In short: It’s literally lifesaving.

The study is the first of its kind in that it has a large number of participants, coming in at more than 34,000 LGBTQ+ youth in the United States. Of these respondents, about 12,000 identified as either transgender or nonbinary. All respondents were between the ages of 23 and 24 and were polled between October and December of 2020. 

As some background, studies have already shown that transgender and nonbinary youth have a higher risk for suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and depression when compared to both their cisgender, heterosexual peers and cisgender queer people. This is a big part of the reason the ongoing Republican effort to isolate trans youth from community spaces, like sports teams and even bathrooms, is so sick and harmful. We also know that trans youth are more likely to leave high school without a diploma, become homeless, and experience harassment and abuse.

This study found that for trans and nonbinary minors (meaning people below the age of 18), receiving hormonal therapy was associated with a close to 40% drop in odds of having a suicide attempt in the past year. That’s a huge, and again, lifesaving, difference. Even for folks above the age of 18, the study found that people receiving said hormonal therapy reported a lower likelihood of suicidal ideation and depression when compared to youth who wanted the treatment but couldn’t get it. 

In the study, 50% of all transgender and nonbinary young people said they were not receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy, but wanted to be, whereas 14% said they were receiving hormonal therapy. Just over one-third of respondents, at 36%, said they weren’t interested in receiving hormones. Mind you, someone’s gender identity never depends on medical intervention (like hormones) and is entirely valid either way.

Transgender and nonbinary youth of color reported lower rates of being able to access hormonal therapy when compared to white trans youth who sought it out. People living in the South also had low rates of being able to access such therapies. It’s impossible to consider this reality without thinking about the slew of anti-trans bills that have cropped up in the South that target both patients and physicians when it comes to providing gender-affirming, safe, age-appropriate medical care. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study also finds that affirming parents are a big part of youth being able to access such care. Less than 4% of respondents under the age of 18 were able to access gender-affirming hormones without parental support. On the other hand, almost 80% of minors who did access such therapy said they had at least one parent on their side. 

These anti-trans politicians are on the wrong side of history. Sign if you’re committed to defeating despicable legislation, overturning hateful decisions, and helping to expand critical protections and rights for the transgender community.