Forced outing leads to high depression rates among LGBTQ+ youth, yet legislation persists

Forced outing has devastating consequences for LGBTQ+ people, and queer youth are at an even greater risk.

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One-third of LGBTQ+ minors who were outed without their consent were more likely to experience depression, as well as face less support from their families, according to a new study from the University of Connecticut. Two-thirds said that the event caused significant stress.

Outing is the act of revealing a person's sexual orientation or gender identity without their consent. The UConn study analyzed responses from 9,200 queer youth ages 13 to 17 in the Human Rights Campaign's 2017 LGBTQ National Teen Survey which showed a correlation between outing and stress.

The data also showed that LGBTQ+ youth experience stress from outing differently, as transgender, nonbinary, and asexual respondents reported higher stress levels than cisgender gay, lesbian and bisexual participants. In all cases, respondents reported lower stress when they also reported have parents or guardians who are educated on sexuality and gender identity.

More than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced across the U.S. in 2023, and 80 were passed into law. In 2024, 487 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced and 20 have passed into law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. There are currently five states that mandate schools report transgender children to their parents if they request to go by a different name or pronouns. Another six “promote” forced outing, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

Such policies can make queer youth unsafe at home, and embolden their peers to bully and harass them. ACLU spokesperson Gillian Branstetter told CT Insider that the report further proves the health of LGBTQ+ students should supersede so-called parental rights.

“Students do in fact have a constitutional right to privacy,” he said. “It’s not about subverting the parents’ will. It’s about protecting the young people who face very real, very great risks."