New Research Reveals Online Communities Are Critical Lifelines for Transgender Young People

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Online communities serve as essential lifelines for transgender young people, providing critical mental health support, mentorship, and identity affirmation that are often unavailable in their in-person environments, according to new research from Hopelab and Born This Way Foundation.

The study, titled "I Just Want to Be Accepted by Others": How Transgender Young People Seek and Experience Online Support, surveyed 1,267 LGBTQ+ young people ages 15-24 across the United States, including 696 who identify as transgender. The research was uniquely shaped by transgender young people themselves through youth co-design of the survey and co-distillation of results.

Digital Communities Foster Resilience and Pride

The report underscores the essential role that online communities play in the lives of transgender young people. These digital spaces offer emotional support, identity affirmation, practical resources, and opportunities for connection that are often missing in their in-person environments. For many, the internet is one of the only places where they can safely express their identity and build relationships with others who understand their experiences.

Connecting with affirming online communities allows transgender young people to flourish. Participants described how online spaces offer mentorship, often from other transgender individuals who share advice, encouragement, and access to gender-affirming resources.

Challenging Harmful Misconceptions

The research directly counters common misconceptions about transgender identity and online influence. Participants emphasized that being transgender is not an online trend, but rather that transgender young people seek out these communities because they already hold those feelings, and online support helps them better understand and accept who they are.

"I think there's this constant assumption... that online spaces create trans people, whereas that's not the case. It's people coming to these online spaces because they already have those thoughts, those feelings, and just further finding themselves," explained one multiracial transgender young adult man who participated in the study.

Key Research Findings:

• Transgender young people were six times as likely to report feeling "very safe" expressing their identity in online spaces compared to in-person spaces
• More than 9 in 10 transgender young people feel comfortable with their LGBTQ+ identity
• Transgender young people with greater transgender pride and community connection report higher flourishing and lower rates of depression
• Over 90% of transgender young people are concerned about restricted access to LGBTQ+ online content

Mental Health Disparities Highlight Support Gaps

The research comes at a critical time when transgender young people face disproportionately high rates of mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide risk, compared to their cisgender peers. While these young people often have little control over their physical surroundings or local community acceptance, online spaces emerge as powerful sources of support that can buffer the effects of social exclusion and minority stress.

Policy and Platform Implications

The findings carry significant implications as policymakers and digital platforms consider content restrictions that could impact LGBTQ+ resources. The study reveals that transgender young people are particularly concerned about losing access to affirming online content that serves as a critical component of their support system and mental health toolkit.

The report states, "Understanding how online communities function as sources of affirmation and support is critical, as they may help buffer the effects of social exclusion and minority stress." It highlights the potential unintended consequences of restricting access to these vital digital resources.

About the Research

The study explores how transgender young people show resilience, express pride in their identities, and experience online spaces as places of safety and support. By centering the voices and insights of transgender youth themselves, the research grounds findings in lived experience while highlighting this population's unique strengths and unmet needs.

Read the full report online at: https://hopelab.org/stories/transgender-online-support/ 

About Hopelab
Hopelab envisions a future where young people have equitable opportunities to live joyful and purposeful lives. As a researcher, investor, and convener, Hopelab is dedicated to fostering greater mental health and well-being outcomes for Brown, Black, and Queer young people. Learn more at hopelab.org.

About Born This Way Foundation
Born This Way Foundation, co-founded and led by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Bissett Germanotta, empowers and inspires young people to build a kinder, braver world that supports their mental health and wellbeing. Based on the scientific link between kindness and mental health and built in partnership with young people, the Foundation leverages research, programs, grantmaking, and partnerships to engage young people and connect them with accessible mental health resources. This approach comes to life through the storytelling platform Channel Kindness, the mental health training course Be There Certificate, the youth-led grantmaking program Kindness in Community Fund, and more, reaching thousands of young people around the world each year. Learn more at bornthisway.foundation.

SOURCE Hopelab