Pacific Northwest organizations work to support queer Indigenous youth

Hundreds of youth dressed as their authentic selves laughed, danced and watched Indigenous drag performers at a night celebrating queer joy last May. It was exactly the sort of event called for in a new report by the Trevor Project, finding that Indigenous LGBTQ2S+ youth face a significantly higher rate of mental health struggles compared to their white peers.

At Queer Prom, Native American Youth and Family Center organizers worked to create a space of love and acceptance — a celebration of all that it means to be queer — a prom many queer adults never had the opportunity to attend.

In a study released Thursday by The Trevor Project, researchers found that Indigenous LGBTQ2S+ youth face disproportionate rates of mental health struggles including suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression.

Finding ways to reduce those numbers is extremely important, as is highlighting queer and trans joy and examples of thriving Indigenous LGBTQ2S+ people, according to Silas Hoffer, Yakama and Grand Ronde, Two Spirit programming advocate at NAYA. Hoffer helped organize NAYA’s Queer Prom this year.

“We’re not just houseless and without family and all those things they say we are gonna be if you’re queer or trans,” they said. “I think those [statistics] are out there so much to scare us into not being who we are, when in reality I don’t think that that’s actually the majority of people’s experiences.”