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About the Conference
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation in partnership with the National Education Association and the American Counseling Association present Time To THRIVE, the annual national conference to promote safety, inclusion and well-being for LGBTQ youth...everywhere!
We are making progress on the road to legal equality, yet young LGBTQ people in America still face dramatically heightened rates of discrimination in school, at home and within their community. The impact of family rejection, bullying and the messages they hear about being LGBTQ weigh heavily on our youth. By engaging a broad audience of youth-serving professionals, including K-12 educators, mental health providers, pediatricians, religious leaders, recreational athletic coaches and youth development staff (Boys and Girls Club, YMCAs, scout leaders, etc.), we can create spaces in which LGBTQ youth are affirmed, supported and have the ability to thrive.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released landmark research from their Youth Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS), which provides us with some of the most pressing issues facing our youth today:
Roughly 35% of LGBTQ youth in the United States have seriously considered attempting suicide.
Transgender youth (45%) and questioning youth (40%) are significantly more likely to have considered attempting suicide compared to 13% of non-LGBTQ youth. Additionally, a majority of LGB youth (54%), transgender youth (61%), and questioning youth (61%) are battling depressive symptoms, compared to their non-LGBTQ peers (29%).
24% of LGBTQ youth have skipped school because they felt unsafe.
LGBTQ youth more frequently skip school than non-LGBTQ youth, citing concerns for their own safety as the reason why they do not attend. Rates elevate to 35% for transgender youth and 41% for questioning youth compared to 8% for non-LGBTQ youth.
Only 65% of LGBTQ youth have mostly A and B grades at school.
While a majority of non-LGBTQ youth (78%) have mostly As and Bs, HRC Foundation’s analysis of the 2019 YRBS data shows a grade performance gap for LGBTQ youth (65%). This gap widens for LGBTQ youth of color (63%), questioning youth (63%), and transgender youth (55%).
These findings are a call to action for adults who want to ensure the overall well-being of LGBTQ young people. The conference provides a comprehensive opportunity for youth-serving professionals to build awareness and cultural competency, learn current and emerging best practices and gather resources from leading experts and national organizations in the field. The conference is strongly committed to an intersectional approach in all conversations, workshops, and keynotes.