The Bottom Line

Launched by the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), the Biden Foundation, and Gender Spectrum, “Advancing Acceptance” raises awareness of the importance of family and community acceptance in the lives of transgender and gender diverse youth. According to the Biden Foundation, when parents and families accept and embrace their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) child, that acceptance dramatically improves their child’s self-esteem and decreases the likelihood they will experience depression or suicidal ideation, or engage in self-harming behaviors. And research shows that transgender youth experience greatly reduced anxiety and depression when they are accepted and affirmed at home, in school, and in their communities.

Family and community rejection, coupled with a lack of legal protections and a lack of anti-discrimination and anti-bullying protections in schools, means LGBTQ youth continue to be among the most at-risk youth populations in America. LGBTQ young people—specifically transgender youth—are disproportionately more likely to experience homelessness, experience discrimination and bullying in schools, suffer from depression, and experience suicidal ideation, and these risks are exacerbated the more transgender young people experience rejection. However, through family and community acceptance and support, nurturing strong connections to people who care, and establishing a positive sense of identity as a transgender person, parents and communities can help foster and strengthen resilience in transgender and gender diverse young people.

Stories have power. Supporters are encouraged to submit stories to the “As You Are” campaign—from LGBTQ youth, parents, siblings, educators, social service providers, coaches, and others—to help educate the broader public about the critical importance of affirming, accepting, and supporting LGBTQ young people, and the harms these youth face when their families and communities reject them. The Biden Foundation is sharing these stories with the hope that they will serve to inspire, to create communities, to heal families, and to change the broader culture to ensure a bright future for all LGBTQ young people.