More than five percent of high school students identify with a different gender identity or experience gender identity, according to a first-of-its-kind survey from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
According to the survey, 3.3% of students nationally identify as transgender. An additional 2.2% of students question their gender. The share of high school students who identify as transgender is up 1.9% in comparison to 2022.
One major concern highlighted by these findings is the mental health crisis facing transgender and questioning youth. According to the report, transgender and gender confused students face significantly higher rates of bullying, depression, and suicidal ideation compared to their peers.
Approximately 26% of transgender and questioning students attempted suicide in the past year, compared to much lower rates among non-gender confused students.
The survey’s findings raise concerns about the involvement of public schools in promoting and discussing gender and gender identity. Many people believe that schools are playing an outsized role in advancing a gender-fluid ideology without fully involving parents in the conversation.
Policies that allow students to choose bathrooms and participate in sports based on their gender identity, rather than their biological sex, have sparked debates nationwide about the balance between inclusivity and safety for biological women.
Many argue that policies that allow minors to identify as a different gender contribute to confusion among students, pushing them toward transitioning before they fully understand the long-term consequences.
The CDC’s approach to defining gender also came under scrutiny following the release of the study.
The report defines gender as a socially constructed concept rather than as a biological fact determined by chromosomes. By framing gender in this way, the CDC aligns itself with a view that gender identity is fluid and can be different from one’s biological sex, which many argue ignores the immutable characteristics that define male and female.
