LGBT Health: Youth

Five teens sitting on a fence with arms around each other

Adolescence is a time of growth and change that prepares young people to take on additional responsibilities associated with adulthood. This period, from about 12 to 24 years of age, is marked by social and cognitive growth as well as puberty and other physical changes. While adolescence can bring about exciting self-discovery, it can also be accompanied by difficult exploration of identity. For LGBT youth, experiencing stigma can compound the challenges associated with adolescence.

Because adolescents tend to be physically healthy, much of adolescent health care is focused on social and behavioral health issues and on helping adolescents adapt to changes in their bodies. While LGBT youth have many of the same medical and developmental concerns as their non-LGBT peers, they also experience some unique concerns. In Wisconsin, LGBT youth have higher rates of suicide attempts, smoking, and initiation of sex at an early age compared to their non-LGBT peers. Youth who engage in same-sex sexual contact are more than three times as likely to attempt suicide and twice as likely to smoke daily compared to youth engaging in only opposite-sex contact.

The following selection of resources is intended to increase awareness of health issues and disparities affecting LGBT youth. Use the left-side navigation bar to learn more about any of the health concerns addressed below.

LGBT Health: Youth

General Resources

Alcohol And Drugs

Cancer

HIV

Mental Health

Sexual Health

Tobacco

Violence/Safety