LGBTQ+ youth are among the most vulnerable when it comes to mental health at any given point but may be especially so after this past year of turbulence and loss. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that youth identifying as lesbian, gay, or bisexual are twice as likely to experience symptoms of mental illness compared to their heterosexual peers while transgender and non-binary youth are at a four times greater risk. Further, these children often cannot even begin to address their mental health as they are faced with additional discriminatory barriers such as dramatically increased risk for homelessness and lack of culturally appropriate healthcare. Nevertheless, Resilient Georgia firmly believes that where adversity arises, so too arises the opportunity for building resilience.
