The Community Care Crisis for Queer Youth

Trans and non-binary youth with the worst mental health outcomes are providing the most peer support—while AI chatbots linked to teen suicides offer a dangerous alternative

Author

Baxstar Jonmarie Ferguson
August 31, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

MEET TODAY’S GUEST

Myeshia Price

Dr. Myeshia Price (she/they) is an associate research scientist with the Kinsey Institute, associate professor at Indiana University, and former director of research science at The Trevor Project. She specializes in LGBTQ+ youth mental health and research translation.

Hey there!

You’re reading Well Beings News — a queer trans health and wellness newsletter for practitioners, providers, and professionals who care about improving LGBTQ+ lives. This is Peer Reviewed, a monthly interview with scientists, researchers, and academics, sharing their insights and knowledge from their published or soon-to-be published work. Let’s dive in!
___________________________________________

— BJ @ Well Beings News
THE INTERVIEW

Dr. Myeshia Price was running data analyses for Hopelab's recent study of LGBTQ+ youth online experiences when she kept noticing the same pattern: transgender and non-binary young people with the poorest mental health outcomes were simultaneously providing the most peer support to others. 

Price led the quantitative analysis for "Without It I Wouldn't Be Here Today," a comprehensive look at how LGBTQ+ young people navigate online spaces for support and community. Their background as a developmental psychologist, former director of research science at The Trevor Project, and parent of a non-binary child brings both professional rigor and personal investment to research that reveals uncomfortable truths about who's carrying the emotional labor in queer communities.

The data shows that 53% of LGBTQ+ youth received support from online friends and communities more than monthly, with rural youth even more likely to rely on digital connections (57% vs. 51% suburban/urban). But the real revelation emerges in who's providing that support.

Become a Professional Member to access this content

Friday columns focus on highlighting the work of individual experts, practitioners, providers, and professionals specializing in work with LGBTQ+ people. Upgrade to a professional membership to access these weekend columns.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.

The Weekend Columns Include:

  • • Provider POV: a 12-question Q&A about LGBTQ+ cultural competency
  • • Queer in Practice: an in-depth interview series with queer professionals about the work they're doing to change the industry for queer trans people
  • • Peer Reviewed: profiles of researchers, scientists and academics working to better understand queer trans lives, experiences, and health
  • • Is This a Thing? Our resident advice columnist Mx. Thing takes on reader queries about queer convergence, curious coincidences, and questionable comorbidities

Reply

or to participate.