As the vice president of research at the Trevor Project—a nonprofit that focuses on suicide prevention among queer youth—Ronita Nath collects and uncovers data that can be used to inform public policy. “It guides life-saving interventions that help shape supportive environments for LGBTQ+ young people in every community,” she says. “This work is particularly hard, especially in the current political climate we’re in, where trans and nonbinary youth are under constant attack."
In 2024, Nath was instrumental in leading a study published in Nature Human Behavior that found that when states pass anti-transgender laws, suicide attempts by trans and nonbinary teens ages 13 to 17 increase by up to 72%. It’s the first research to establish a causal relationship between these policies—like banning gender-transition care for minors—and higher suicide attempt rates. “My hope with this research is to show people from all backgrounds and beliefs that if you live in a state that has passed an anti-transgender law, youth in your home state are significantly more likely to take their own life. This is a scientific reality, and it is simply unacceptable,” she says.
The findings highlight the need for supportive policies, like ensuring access to health care for trans people, Nath says. But even community members who are not lawmakers can make a difference, she adds. “What gives me strength is the resilience of the young people we talk to,” she says. “Despite everything, they continue to show up and build community and demand to be seen. Through this research, we know that every step we take, every safe space we create—it all matters. It all adds up.”