Survey Reveals 3.3% of High School Students Identify as Transgender

Results of a Survey Conducted by the CDC

On Tuesday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of a 2023 survey, which revealed that 3.3% of high school students in the U.S. identified as transgender as of the previous year. The survey also discovered that 2.2% of students identified as "questioning". This study, derived from the 2023 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, is considered the first of its kind.

Understanding the Transgender Student Population

The CDC stated that until recently, data detailing the experiences of transgender students and those questioning their gender identity has been limited. Among the students identifying as transgender, approximately 47.5% identified as female. The survey also found fewer black transgender students, with a higher proportion identifying as white compared to cisgender or questioning students.

Performance and Experiences of Transgender Students

The survey indicated that transgender students performed more poorly than their cisgender counterparts in almost every metric. Transgender and questioning students experienced higher prevalence of violence, poor mental health, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and unstable housing. They also reported lower levels of school connectedness than their cisgender peers.

Mental Health and Bullying Among Transgender Students

According to the CDC, about 40% of transgender and questioning students experienced bullying at school. Additionally, 69% of questioning students and 72% of transgender students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, indicating depressive symptoms. The survey also revealed that roughly 26% of transgender and questioning students attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 5% of cisgender male and 11% of cisgender female students.

Sexual Identity Among Transgender Students

The survey found that most cisgender students identified as heterosexual (79.4%), while only 8.7% of transgender students and 7.5% of questioning students identified as such. Transgender questioning students had a higher prevalence of questioning their sexual identity (20.4%) than both cisgender and transgender students (4.1% and 7.0%, respectively).

Public Reactions to the Survey

The survey results sparked some controversy with some people expressing skepticism about the findings. One user commented that the idea that one out of every 33 high school kids is trans is patently absurd, pointing out that the DSM-IV, used by psychologists from 1994 until 2013, estimated the prevalence of transsexualism to be 1 out of every 30,000 males and 100,000 females.

Bottom Line

The results of this survey provide a new perspective on the experiences and challenges faced by transgender and questioning students in the U.S. It raises important questions about the support and resources available to these students, as well as societal attitudes towards gender identity. What are your thoughts on these findings? Do you think they accurately reflect the experiences of transgender students in our schools? Share your thoughts and this article with your friends. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is available every day at 6pm.