Related: How companies show solidarity to their LGBTQ+ employees

A recent survey from Out & Equal, a nonprofit focused on workplace equity, found that nearly half of LGBTQ+ individuals feel less safe in their local communities due to state-level policy changes. One-third said they are experiencing "significant" mental health issues.

The Trevor Project's annual survey of LGBTQ+ youth paints an even bleaker picture. Ninety percent of the teens and young adults surveyed said politics were negatively impacting their well-being. Forty percent seriously considered suicide last year — and 12% attempted it. LGBTQ+ hate crimes in K-12 schools have nearly quadrupled in states that have passed LGBTQ+ restrictions.

Meanwhile, Mental Health America — the national organization that founded Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949 — glosses over LGBTQ+ mental health in this year's campaign. A 52-page downloadable toolkit (entitled Where to Start) largely relegates the issue to a sidebar suggesting the mental health of LGBTQ+ individuals may be especially vulnerable to negative news coverage.

Well, yes. When the headlines are filled with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and attacks on gender-affirming care (and much else), the news isn't just upsetting — it reflects, and reinforces, the multiplying barriers and threats that prevent LGBTQ+ individuals from getting essential health care.

Sure enough, respondents in the Out & Equal survey noted that safe and affirming care has become less accessible, and 50% of young people who wanted mental health care in the past year told the Trevor Project they were not able to get it.

While access to mental health services is a problem for just about everyone, everywhere, the LGBTQ+ community is facing a dangerous trifecta — cultural and political volatility, an accelerating mental health crisis, and an inequitable healthcare system — that needs immediate and sustained action.

Also: How to make your benefits more inclusive

The workplace is a great place to start, and everyone has a job to do:

• Employers. As the Out & Equal report makes clear, the well-being of LGBTQ+ employees is essential for a healthy workforce and healthy businesses. Tap into employee resource groups (ERGs) to ensure that LGBTQ+ employees are aware of the full range of health benefits and support available to them. Virtual care and clinical navigation services, for instance, can be a lifeline for employees who can't find — or don't feel comfortable reaching out to — mental health professionals in their community.
• Health plans. If you provide virtual care and mental health benefits, take advantage of Mental Health Month and Pride campaigns to remind plan members who identify as LGBTQ+ what those benefits are and how to access them. Then, read the research showing that investing in mental health reduces the total cost of care.
• Family members. If you get health insurance through work, ask your HR rep about mental health and LGBTQ+ benefits and share the info with your loved ones. Post-pandemic, many companies now provide low- or no-cost virtual mental health care for dependents as well as employees. Medicare and most Medicaid plans offer virtual care as well.
• Individuals. If you or a loved one needs mental health support, talk to trusted peers (including ERGs) or HR and get connected to the care you need. It's out there, and readily available virtually — but you may need to ask and advocate for it.

Most importantly, if you or someone you know is in crisis, don't wait: Dial 988 to speak with a counselor now.

Regardless of which month it is, we need more than awareness and slogans. So as the clock winds down on May and clicks over into June, take a moment to reflect, regroup — and resolve to act.

We need to stop dropping the ball on LGBTQ+ mental health.

​​Colin Quinn is president of Communities at Included Health.