Suicide Prevention Insights to Action

Suicide Prevention Insights to Action is a quarterly publication developed by the Minnesota Department of Health Suicide Prevention Data Action Team. The goal is to improve individual, organization, and community capacity to use suicide-related data to identify high-risk groups, set priority prevention activities, and monitor the effects of suicide prevention programs.

The data: Importance of pronouns in transgender and nonbinary youth suicide prevention

Creating a supportive environment for transgender and nonbinary youth is essential to ensure they thrive. One way to do this is by respecting and honoring everyone’s pronouns. The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey of LGBTQ Youth Mental Health found that transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by the people they lived with attempted suicide at almost half the rate of those who did not.

The resource: Using a person’s correct pronouns saves lives

The Minnesota Suicide Prevention Taskforce developed Using a Person's Correct Pronouns Saves Lives (PDF), which summarizes the critical importance of using correct pronouns for transgender and nonbinary individuals.

The action: Foster affirming spaces

While the statistic above is about respecting pronouns in the home, we can all take action by respecting pronouns in all settings. Ensure your spaces are affirming for transgender and nonbinary people by:

Using your mistakes as learning opportunities. If you misgender someone, simply apologize, thank them for correcting you, and use the opportunity to educate others who may not be informed.
Set an inclusive tone in meetings by including pronouns in introductions.
Ask about pronouns rather than assuming you know someone’s pronouns based on their physical appearance.
Review your organization’s documents and materials to ensure gender inclusive language and provide options for preferred name and pronouns.

View past Insights to Action

Email us at health.suicideprev.mdh@state.mn.us with any questions.

If you need immediate emotional or mental health support, or are worried about someone else, please call or text 988 or visit the 988 Lifeline chat to connect online with a trained counselor.