Online communities serve as essential lifelines for transgender young people, providing critical mental health support, mentorship, and identity affirmation that are often unavailable in their in-person environments.
The study, conducted in partnership with Born This Way Foundation, surveyed 1,267 LGBTQ+ young people ages 15-24 across the United States, including 696 who identify as transgender. The research was uniquely shaped by transgender young people themselves through youth co-design of the survey and co-distillation of results.
The report underscores the essential role that online communities play in the lives of transgender young people. These digital spaces offer emotional support, identity affirmation, practical resources, and opportunities for connection that are often missing in their in-person environments. For many, the internet is one of the only places where they can safely express their identity and build relationships with others who understand their experiences.
The research directly counters common misconceptions about transgender identity and online influence. Participants emphasized that being transgender is not an online trend, but rather that transgender young people seek out these communities because they already hold those feelings, and online support helps them better understand and accept who they are.
Transgender young people were significantly more likely than cisgender LGBQ+ peers to describe online communities as “important” or “very important” when they were first exploring their identity (42% vs 32%). This difference may reflect that transgender young people often lack access to affirming, in-person resources and instead rely on digital spaces to meet those needs.
Transgender young people feel significantly safer expressing their identity online than in person. Nearly half (47%) say they feel “very safe” expressing their identity online, compared to only 7% who feel “very safe” doing so in person—nearly a sixfold difference.
Transgender young people who are proud of having a gender identity different from their sex assigned at birth are significantly more likely to report flourishing. Over half (53%) of transgender young people who reported pride in their identities met the cutoff for flourishing, compared to 30% of those who did not report pride.
Transgender young people who are proud to have a gender identity different from their sex assigned at birth are significantly less likely to meet the cutoff for depression (46% vs. 61%) compared to those who were not proud. In open-ended responses, transgender participants described how online communities helped them develop a sense of pride in their identity.
Transgender young people are significantly more likely than their cisgender LGBQ+ peers to report feeling comfortable with their LGBTQ+ identity (91% vs. 84%).
Transgender young people were significantly more likely than their cisgender LGBQ+ peers to give support to others online several times a month or more (74% vs. 63%).
High proportions of both transgender and cisgender LGBTQ+ young people expressed being concerned that their state or the federal government might limit their access to LGBTQ+-affirming online communities and content. However, transgender young people were significantly more likely than cisgender LGBQ+ young people to report this concern (91% vs. 83%).
Beyond offering kindness and individual support, allies must advocate for inclusive policies and practices that protect transgender young people and affirm their right to live as their authentic selves.
