The impacts of anti-trans laws Utah has passed over the last four years have been most acutely felt by the youngest transgender Utahns. So when I report on how these policies might affect the lives of school-age transgender youth, I often turn to mental health data the state collects through the Student Health and Risk Prevention survey.
Last week, I noticed that reports on transgender students’ responses to the survey had disappeared from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ website. I was reporting out a story on how Utah lawmakers who came up with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline were reacting to the Trump administration’s ask that funds be pulled from specialized help for LGBTQ+ youth who call the number.
Numbers produced in the surveys conducted every other year are alarming. In 2023, a quarter of transgender students reported they had attempted suicide during the previous year, and were 3 1/2 times more likely than their peers to respond that they had recently considered ending their life.
Some research indicates when states like Utah enact anti-trans laws, those statistics go up. But without SHARP data, it’s unclear whether there will be information available as to how the mental health of Utah’s transgender students is faring in 2025.
When I reached out to DHHS yesterday with questions about where the directive to remove the links came from, as well as whether other datasets were affected, a spokesperson said the agency would not be able to provide answers until later today. Because this story is breaking, I’ll update this story when we know more.
— Emily Anderson Stern
