Something as large-scale and daunting as the modern youth mental health crisis could never be solved overnight. Considering queer Latino youth are part of two communities which are underrepresented, underserved and under attack by the federal government, their challenges are especially unique.
In a 2024 report by the Human Rights Campaign, over 70% surveyed queer Latino youth ages 13-18 reported experiencing racism in the LGBT community, and nearly 80% reported experiencing homophobia or transphobia in the Latino community.
As the mental health crisis for youth continues to take hold around the world, Chicago’s doctors and activist groups alike are working to chip away at solutions to reach these youth and address the specific issues they face.
In 2023, a study by The Trevor Project highlighted the unique mental health outcomes of queer Latinos ages 13-24. The organization reported this demographic faced discrimination on both counts of their identities, as 39% experienced race-based discrimination, and 55% experienced sexuality-based discrimination.
Juan Pablo Zapata, a clinical psychologist and associate director of the Lab for Scalable Mental Health at Northwestern University, said culturally informed care has been a missing piece in approaching mental health in queer Latino youth. He said it’s been handled in a “very poor” way so far in often just seeing Latinos as a monolithic group.
“Much of the work, and even some of the work I’ve done in the past, kind of ignored a lot of these differences that really do make the difference in how communities are engaged effectively and whether or not the message is resonating with them,” Zapata said.
Family rejection is one of the most important drivers of healthcare outcomes for queer Latino youth, he said. It stems from ideas such as machismo, traditional gender expectations and other rigid beliefs.
Zapata said that, when non-Latino or American youth come out, they often see improvement in function as families become more open. That linear path doesn’t necessarily happen with Latino youth—if family rejection is high, young people will often still police their own language and behavior to try and fit in with traditional Latino ideas.
Another challenge he sees with youth is “school belonging”—something that can increasingly prevent bad outcomes with queer youth. Zapata said they can experience feelings of victimization because of their dual identities. He said these reactions challenge preconceived ideas of how to protect, care and build safe spaces for them.
The Trevor Project reported 60% of queer Latino youth had someone try to convince them to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, with 39% saying this came from a parent or caregiver. And although 83% of queer Latino youth said they wanted to receive mental health care, 60% did not receive the care they wanted—higher than the full sample of queer young people at 56%.
Eleven percent reported being threatened with conversion therapy, and 5% reported being subjected to it.
The CDC released a report focusing on the youth mental health crisis in 2024—in it, 65% of LGBTQ+ youth reported experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared to 35% of heterosexual youth. Hispanic youth reported 42% compared to 39% of white youth.
Zapata said increasing visibility is where safe environments begin. His lab focuses on designing self-guided interventions where youth can see themselves. Another area he focuses on is biculturalism or bilingualism—making sure people who speak only English or Spanish feel included in the way programs can feel most comfortable expressing themselves.
He also wants to provide families and those close to young people the language to talk about LGBT identities.
“I think a big factor that goes into why we see a lot of rejection is the lack of skill in being able to talk about something that is unfamiliar to you,” Zapata said. “I think one of the things that all of us can do, especially if we’re connected across different communities, is to give language that signals the differences you see within gender or sexual identity in creative ways … It has to be delivered in ways that they’ll hear it. I think it’s good to start there.”
One organization working to create safe places for youth to be seen is CALOR (Comprensión y Apoyo a Latinos en Oposición at Retrovirus). Associate Director of Operations Alfredo Flores Loera said the group has always provided services for young people, particularly young people of color. Previous programming included resources tailored towards queer men of color, such as support groups, social events and sex education.
Loera began his association with CALOR as a youth participant. Recently, the organization’s youth engagement has increased, he said.
To highlight young people and their unique perspectives, Loera said CALOR employs young people as interns year-round. Some of them even help create the programming and execute it by then leading the groups—Loera said its important queer young people of color are not just present, but part of leadership and decision-making.
“We also have staff that represent [queer and Latino identities], that are under 24 years old, that help us shape some of the programming, as well,” he said. “Most of the interns, and essentially all of our staff that are young, are also queer people of color.”
Loera has seen young staff positively impact the teens they serve by giving them a safe space to feel connected and comfortable. He said he’s noticed they feel freer to express themselves in spaces led by their peers.
One of their main challenges is growing up in the current political climate—where both LGBTQ+ and Latino identities are under attack, Loera said. That, and finding spaces where they can be themselves is difficult with the lack of funding towards programs like the ones at CALOR.
“If you receive specific funding from local, from federal government, you’re not allowed to use certain language to define groups [or] programming,” Loera said. “I think right now, the biggest challenge is being prioritized by this administration.”
He said he fears a lot of organizations may be shying away from prioritizing these demographics due to fear of government restrictions or attacks.
The Trevor Project reported queer Latino youth who worry at least sometimes about themselves or a family member facing detainment or deportation experience higher rates of anxiety—reported by 73%—and depression—reported by 63%—symptoms than those who don’t.
Right now, CALOR is working with Yollocalli Arts Reach—the youth initiative from the National Museum of Mexican Art—on one Thursday a month to provide services to their youth. Starting in July, Loera said they are planning to begin an LGBT youth support group as well as provide free therapy for young people.
Latino queer youth may face barriers to accessing resources such as immigration status, language or culture. He said it’s important for organizations providing mental health resources to acknowledge both identities and make youth feel seen and accepted for who they are in both areas—Latino and queer.
“I think a lot of LGBT Latino youth really rely on organizations like us to be at the forefront of just sharing their voices, sharing their thoughts, or even just being able to be in a space where they feel comfortable,” he said. “Right now, they’re going through it, you know, and I think now more than ever I’ve seen young people normalize mental health access. So why not embrace it?”