Key Takeaways
- Trauma is common in the LGBTQ+ community, and it can lead to lasting emotional pain or PTSD.
- Healing from trauma starts with the right support that respects your identity and helps you feel safe.
- Trauma-informed care is most effective for PTSD because it focuses on safety and trust while allowing you to heal at your own pace.
Trauma is common in the LGBTQ+ community. Many people face painful experiences, like rejection, bullying, discrimination, or violence — just because of who they are or who they love. In fact, studies show that 96% of LGBTQ+ people between the ages of 13 and 24 report experiencing trauma.
These experiences can leave lasting emotional wounds and, for some people, lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you’re someone who has lived through LGBTQ+ trauma, know that your pain is real — and you’re not alone.
Living with trauma can feel heavy, but healing is possible. The challenges you’ve faced matter, and you deserve care that honors your identity and experience. You might carry fear, shame, or sadness that others don’t always see. But you don’t have to carry it alone. With affirming support and the right tools, you can start to feel more grounded, at peace, and like yourself.
Common ways trauma shows up among LGBTQ+ people
If you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, you may have faced experiences that left emotional scars. Sometimes, these experiences are big and obvious. Other times, they build up slowly over time — especially if they started early in life.
Many LGBTQ+ people experience trauma during childhood or while growing up in religious environments that don’t affirm who they are. These early experiences can shape how safe, accepted, or worthy you feel in adulthood.
Some common sources of trauma among LGBTQ+ people include:
- Childhood trauma: Growing up in communities where you didn’t feel safe, supported, or seen
- Bullying: Being teased, excluded, or harassed, especially in school
- Rejection: Being pushed away or disowned by family or friends
- Outing: Having your identity shared without your consent
- Conversion efforts: Being pressured to change who you are through therapy or religion
- Discrimination: Being treated unfairly at work, at school, or in public
- Religious trauma: Being told that your identity is wrong or sinful
- Abuse: Experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional harm
- Hate crimes: Being threatened or attacked because of your identity
- Invisibility: Feeling erased, ignored, or invalidated for who you are
You may not always realize how much these events have impacted you. Trauma can show up in your body and mind in many different ways. You might have flashbacks, nightmares, or panic attacks. You might avoid certain people or places that remind you of painful experiences.
Some people feel constantly on edge, while others feel numb or disconnected. Shame and guilt are also common, especially if you were taught to feel like your identity is wrong or “too much.”
Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD, but it’s a very common condition among people in the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, studies show that nearly 50% of people who identify as LGBTQ+ meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. PTSD is a mental health condition that can make it harder to feel grounded or safe in everyday life.
For LGBTQ+ people, it can feel especially hard to reach out for help — especially if you’ve been made to feel like your story isn’t valid or that you have to keep parts of yourself hidden. Please know that your experiences matter, and you deserve care that sees and affirms all of who you are. Healing is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone.
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How trauma and PTSD affect the LGBTQ+ community
If you’ve been through difficult experiences, like rejection or violence, it’s normal to carry that pain in both your mind and body. Trauma can make you feel unsafe, and you might find it hard to trust people or feel comfortable in certain places. You might also be on high alert all the time, constantly worried about being hurt again. This hypervigilance can be exhausting, and it may make it harder to feel at ease.
Sometimes, trauma leads people to unhealthy ways of coping, like harmful substance use or self-harm,* as a way to avoid the pain. These behaviors might feel like they offer relief, but they often make things harder in the long run.
On top of personal trauma, LGBTQ+ people can face challenges like discrimination in society, lack of support, or limited access to affirming care. These struggles often make the healing process even harder and can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and self-doubt.
However, with affirming care, healing is absolutely possible. You deserve support that helps you feel safe, seen, and understood, and there are providers who are ready to walk with you on your healing journey. You don’t have to face this alone.
*The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, confidential support with trained crisis counselors. If you or a loved one is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, please call or text 988. If you’re experiencing a life-threatening emergency or you need immediate help, please call 911.
The path to LGBTQ-friendly, trauma-informed care
If you’ve been through trauma, the right support can help you feel safer, more understood, and more like yourself. For LGBTQ+ people, healing often starts with care that honors your full identity and experiences.
A trauma-informed, identity-affirming provider will respect your name and pronouns, create emotional safety, and understand how trauma affects your body and mind. This matters because when your identity is affirmed, you’re more likely to feel safe enough to open up, trust the process, and truly heal. Affirming care can reduce shame and help you reconnect with parts of yourself that may have felt hidden or rejected in the past.
Trauma-informed care is especially important if you’re living with PTSD. Research shows that it’s more effective because it focuses on safety, trust, and collaboration — three things that are essential when working through trauma.
These providers won’t pressure you to share more than you’re ready for. Instead, they support your pace and help you build coping tools before moving into deeper healing. Early coping skills — like grounding techniques, mindful breathing, or creating comforting routines — can make the healing process feel more manageable.
When you feel ready, reaching out for support through a therapist, support group, or LGBTQ+ center can be a powerful first step toward feeling more at home in your mind and body.
I wish more people understood that trauma in the LGBTQ+ community often shows up in quiet ways — like hiding parts of yourself, feeling on edge in safe places, or struggling to trust even kind people. It’s not always about one big event. Sometimes, it’s from years of feeling like you don’t fully belong. Fortunately, therapy can help you heal.
Find care with Rula
Trauma is common in the LGBTQ+ community and can lead to lasting emotional pain or PTSD. It can come from experiences like rejection, discrimination, and bullying, which may affect your mental health and daily life. Healing is possible with the right support. Affirming care that respects your identity can help you feel safe and begin your journey toward healing.
At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best.
Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we’re here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.
About the author
Brandy Chalmers, LPC
Having faced challenges like childhood abuse, neglect, and the loss of her father to suicide, Brandy Chalmers is deeply passionate about providing compassionate care. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Registered Play Therapist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
Brandy also teaches at a university, sharing her expertise with future mental health professionals. With over a decade of experience in settings like inpatient care and private practice, she specializes in helping clients with perfectionism, trauma, personality disorders, eating disorders, and life changes.
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