LGBTQ+ Youth

Child Trends works to ensure that our research accurately reflects the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth (LGBTQ+)—including those who are asexual, pansexual, Two-spirit, nonbinary, and intersex. We recognize that LGBTQ+ youth’s identities must be affirmed and respected in the research, policies, and programs that impact young people’s lives. To that end, we take an intersectional approach to understanding the rich, complex experiences of LGBTQ+ youth—meaning that we recognize that young people’s race, class, ability, religion, language, and other social identities also define how they perceive themselves and the issues they find most important.