LGBTQ suicidality: Latter‑day Saint (LDS) vs. broader LGBTQ and other religions
What we can (and can’t) measure today, and what the best available data say.
Population: youth & young adults
Outcomes: ideation & attempts (not mortality)
Key Takeaways
- No official statistic exists for an “LGBTQ LDS suicide death rate.” U.S. death certificates and national mortality surveillance do not routinely record sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion—so you cannot compute apples‑to‑apples death rates by SOGI and denomination with public data today. Any claim that a given faith’s LGBTQ members have a definitively higher/lower suicide death rate is not empirically testable at present.
(peer‑reviewed overview) - Utah youth (grades 6/8/10/12): In representative state surveys, LGBQ youth who report an LDS affiliation show lower raw past‑year suicidality than LGBQ youth in other/no religions. In 2019 SHARP data, LGBQ LDS teens reported 28% serious consideration and 10% attempts, vs. higher attempt rates in several other affiliations (see table). After adjusting for family connection and drug use, most between‑religion gaps shrink or disappear—indicating those mediators drive much of the difference. A 2021 replication finds the same pattern.
(BYU Studies analysis) ·
2021 replication in Religions - Nationally, LGBTQ youth risk is much higher than for straight/cis peers. Recent CDC YRBS and Trevor Project surveys show roughly one‑third to two‑fifths of LGBTQ youth seriously consider suicide each year, and about 1 in 10–1 in 7 report an attempt; risk is highest among transgender and nonbinary youth.
CDC YRBS 2013–2023 ·
Trevor 2023 ·
Trevor 2024 - Religion’s role for sexual minorities is mixed and context‑dependent. For heterosexual youth, religiosity tends to be protective. For sexual minority youth/young adults, several studies find higher religious importance and non‑affirming settings are linked to higher odds of suicidality; affirming denominations (e.g., Unitarian Universalist) show lower odds than non‑affirming categories (e.g., “unspecified Christian,” Catholic, in one national college sample). Family acceptance—and avoiding religiously framed rejection—are strongly protective.
Lytle 2018 ·
Blosnich 2020 ·
Trevor 2022 brief - Utah’s elevated overall youth suicide rate (all youth) aligns with broader regional factors (e.g., altitude, firearm access, rurality). CDC’s Epi‑Aid of the 2011–2015 spike concluded there was no single cause; multiple precipitating factors were identified.
Altitude evidence ·
CDC prevention “technical package” ·
CDC MMWR Utah Epi‑Aid
What we can and cannot measure (and why it matters)
Deaths (mortality)
U.S. death certificates and most mortality systems do not capture sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. That prevents credible, apples‑to‑apples death‑rate comparisons such as “LGBTQ LDS vs. LGBTQ non‑LDS” or “LGBTQ Catholic vs. Protestant vs. Jewish vs. Muslim.”
Details.
Self‑reported thoughts and attempts
Large, representative youth surveys (e.g., CDC YRBS; Utah SHARP) measure suicidal ideation/attempts and sometimes include affiliation (“religion”). These are not death rates but are the best available for subgroup comparisons.
CDC YRBS ·
BYU Studies analysis of Utah SHARP
Baseline: suicidality in the general LGBTQ population
- U.S. high‑school students (YRBS 2021–2023): LGBTQ (LGBQ+) students report markedly higher persistent sadness/hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and attempts than straight/cis peers; patterns persist in 2023 trend data.
YRBS 2011–2021 ·
YRBS 2013–2023 - Trevor Project national surveys: Recent reports find about 41–45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year and ~14% attempted; risk is highest for transgender and nonbinary youth.
2023 report ·
2024 report - Transgender adults (U.S. Trans Survey 2022): Lifetime suicidality remains extremely elevated; the 2022 report indicates 78% lifetime suicidal thoughts and 40% lifetime attempts, with family acceptance linked to lower risk.
USTS 2022 Health & Wellbeing (2025)
Utah youth: LGBQ suicidality by religion (the clearest LDS‑specific data)
Data: Representative Utah SHARP surveys analyzed in a peer‑reviewed BYU Studies paper (2019 data) and replicated/extended in Religions (MDPI) using 2021 data (with transgender analyses).
BYU Studies ·
MDPI Religions 2022
2019 Utah SHARP — unadjusted LGBQ youth suicidality by religious affiliation
Past‑year; grades 6/8/10/12. “Unadjusted” = raw percentages without controls. See BYU Studies (Model 1) and discussion of mediators.
| Affiliation | Seriously considered suicide | Attempted suicide |
|---|---|---|
| Latter‑day Saint | 28% | 10% |
| Catholic | 37% | 26% |
| Protestant | 46% | 25% |
| Other | 50% | 30% |
| None | 49% | 23% |
Source: Dyer, Goodman & Wood, BYU Studies (Utah SHARP 2019). The 2021 replication shows the same pattern and attenuation after controls: Dyer, 2022, Religions.
When models add demographics, then family connection and drug use, most between‑religion differences shrink or become statistically non‑significant. In final models, LGBQ LDS youth differ little from other affiliations; the pattern implies family connection and lower substance use explain much of the raw gap.
Replication & controls (2021 SHARP)
Bottom line for Utah youth
Across two large, representative datasets, LGBQ LDS‑affiliated youth do not show higher suicidality than their LGBQ peers in other affiliations; if anything, they start lower, and the differences are mostly explained by family connection and substance use rather than religion per se.
BYU Studies ·
MDPI Religions (replication)
What about other religions/churches?
National evidence (young adults)
In a national study of college‑age young adults, sexual minority individuals in unspecified Christian and Catholic categories had higher odds of recent suicidal ideation than agnostic/atheist sexual minorities; Unitarian/Universalist sexual minorities had substantially lower odds than those unspecified Christian/Catholic groups. Interpretation: the affirming vs. non‑affirming religious context likely matters more than the presence of religion itself.
Blosnich 2020
Importance of religion (youth & college samples)
Several studies report that greater personal importance of religion is associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation/attempt among sexual minority students—contrasting with its generally protective association among heterosexual peers.
Lytle 2018
Family religiosity and messaging
Among LGBTQ youth, adult acceptance is strongly protective; conversely, religiously framed negativity from parents/guardians is associated with elevated risk in multiple analyses. See:
Trevor 2022 (Religion & Spirituality) and
Trevor 2023 (Adult acceptance).
Jewish, Catholic, Protestant (mental‑health proxy)
Using national LGBTQ teen data, one study found depression scores differed by religious upbringing and were strongly (inversely) associated with family acceptance; this is about depression (a strong correlate of suicidality), not suicide outcomes directly.
Miller, Watson & Eisenberg 2020.
Outside the U.S. (illustrative)
A Dutch mixed‑methods study found sexual minority youth raised in Evangelical/Pentecostal homes reported more family stigmatization and suicidal ideation than those raised in Catholic or mainline Protestant homes—again underscoring that acceptance vs. non‑acceptance is the critical dimension.
van Bergen et al., 2023.
MDPI Religions (Utah replication)
Adults and LDS‑specific findings (limited but relevant)
- “LGB Mormon paradox.” Using Utah BRFSS data, Cranney (2017) reported better self‑reported mental health among LGB Mormons than LGB non‑Mormons; this does not directly measure suicidality and may reflect selection effects.
Journal of Homosexuality (2017) - A study of active vs. non‑active/former LDS sexual minorities found similar suicidal ideation on average, with religious struggles (e.g., internal conflict) tied to higher risk in both groups—again pointing to how religion is experienced rather than simple affiliation.
Lefevor et al., 2022
Utah context: high overall suicide rates and confounders
- Utah sits within the Intermountain “suicide belt,” where multiple structural factors (e.g., altitude, firearm access, rurality, care access) are linked to higher suicide rates.
Altitude study ·
CDC: reducing access to lethal means, connectedness, etc. - A CDC/Utah investigation of the 2011–2015 youth suicide increase concluded there was no single cause; precipitating factors included mental‑health diagnoses, depressed mood, recent crises, history of ideation/attempt, and bullying.
MMWR Utah Epi‑Aid
Reconciling influencer claims that LGBTQ LDS people have a “higher suicide rate”
- Death‑rate claims are not evidence‑based under current U.S. data systems (no SOGI or religion on death certificates). A statement like “LGBTQ LDS have the highest suicide death rate” cannot be empirically validated with public mortality data today.
Why - Survey evidence from Utah youth points the other way: unadjusted attempt/ideation rates are lower among LGBQ LDS youth vs. LGBQ peers in other/no religions; after adjusting for family connection and substance use, most differences fade—implying the mediators, not affiliation itself, explain the observed gap.
BYU Studies (2019 data) ·
MDPI Religions (2021 replication) - National studies show that non‑affirming religious experiences and religious conflict are associated with higher suicidality among sexual minorities, while affirming settings are associated with lower risk. LDS families/wards vary widely in practice, which may explain why some LGBTQ LDS individuals report great harm and others report protection.
Blosnich 2020 ·
Lytle 2018
BYU Studies
Evidence‑based levers that lower risk (regardless of religion)
- Family acceptance & reducing family conflict (especially avoiding religiously framed rejection) substantially reduce risk.
Trevor (adult acceptance) - Affirming spaces (schools, peers, places of worship), anti‑bullying, and adult connectedness lower risk.
CDC YRBS - Avoid “conversion” efforts. Exposure to sexual orientation/gender identity change efforts is associated with much higher suicidality. Utah now bans licensed conversion therapy for minors (rule in 2020; statute in 2023).
Green et al., 2020 ·
Utah rule notice (2019; effective 2020) ·
Utah HB 228 (2023) - Reduce access to lethal means & address substance use—powerful, practical prevention strategies.
CDC technical package
The most “apples‑to‑apples” comparison we can make today (Utah youth, 2019)
Unadjusted LGBQ youth past‑year suicidality by religion (grades 6/8/10/12):
- Considered suicide: LDS 28% vs. Catholic 37%, Protestant 46%, Other 50%, None 49%.
- Attempted suicide: LDS 10% vs. Catholic 26%, Protestant 25%, Other 30%, None 23%.
Controlling for family connection and drug use reduces or eliminates these differences.
Source: BYU Studies (Utah SHARP 2019) and
MDPI Religions (2021 replication).
Important limitations & gaps
- No direct death‑rate comparisons by SOGI and religion—we can’t test claims about suicide mortality for LGBTQ LDS vs. others with current U.S. death records.
Why - Youth vs. adults: Most religion×SOGI analyses use youth/college surveys; adult evidence is thinner and mixed.
Cranney 2017 - Generalizability: The clearest LDS‑specific results are Utah‑specific; they may not generalize to LDS communities elsewhere.
BYU Studies - Denominational granularity: Outside of a few categories (e.g., UU vs. unspecified Christian), U.S. data comparing specific denominations for sexual minorities remain limited.
Blosnich 2020
Selected sources (quick access)
- Utah SHARP 2019 (BYU Studies): Religion & Sexual Orientation as Predictors of Utah Youth Suicidality.
- Utah SHARP 2021 replication (MDPI, Religions): Religious Affiliation’s Association with Suicidality across Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
- CDC YRBS 2013–2023: Data Summary & Trends · 2011–2021: Report.
- Trevor Project (2023/2024): 2023 · 2024.
- Religiosity & suicidality among sexual minority students: Lytle 2018 (PMC).
- Religious affiliation differences among sexual minorities (UU vs. Catholic/Christian): Blosnich 2020 (PMC).
- Family acceptance × religion (depression proxy): Miller, Watson & Eisenberg 2020.
- CDC/Utah Epi‑Aid (no single cause): MMWR 2018.
- SOGI not on death certificates: Clark et al., 2024 (PMC).
- USTS 2022 (lifetime suicidality, family acceptance associations): Health & Wellbeing report.
- Conversion efforts & suicidality: Green et al., 2020 (PMC) · Utah ban: HB 228 (2023).