QueerAF, a not-for-profit LGBTQ+ media outlet, has uncovered deeply concerning data about youth suicide rates in England through a year-long investigation. After persistent Freedom of Information requests to the National Child Mortality Database, they revealed that one in six children who died by suicide between 2019 and 2025 were LGBTQ+—totalling 107 young lives lost, of whom 46 identified as transgender.
This exclusive investigation forms the cornerstone of QueerAF’s new series “Under Pressure,” which examines the targeting and challenges faced by trans youth in the UK. The findings arrive amid heated public debate about transgender young people and their well-being, with campaigners calling for politics to be removed from policymaking to address the preventable factors behind these tragic deaths.
The revelation comes as QueerAF launches its 2026 annual crowdfunding campaign, marking four years since the newsletter’s inception. The organisation has positioned itself as an accountability-focused outlet, tracking anti-trans organisations, exposing NHS healthcare inequalities, and setting parliamentary debate agendas through evidence-based investigative journalism.
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QueerAF’s crowdfunding goals include establishing a ring-fenced investigation fund to expose anti-trans organisations and influence networks, employing a dedicated trans journalist for weekly investigations, and launching a monthly “queer joy digest” that highlights community wins and progress in activism. The modest £8,000 target reflects their lean operational model, while aiming to significantly expand their impact.
The organisation emphasises the critical role of investigative journalism in LGBTQ+ activism, particularly as censorship rises globally—from protest restrictions to algorithm filtering and AI-generated misinformation. With 95% of their readership requesting increased investigative journalism, QueerAF is responding by prioritising data-driven exposés and holding institutions accountable.
Beyond the sobering suicide statistics, the newsletter also highlighted recent victories for the trans community, including multiple legal setbacks for Sex Matters, the gender-critical charity behind significant anti-trans rhetoric in the UK. These wins span conversion practices, regulations and Hampstead Ponds access disputes.
QueerAF operates on a model that reinvests all revenue into their mission to “change the newsroom, to change the country,” distinguishing themselves from mainstream and gay media outlets, which they criticise for prioritising clickbait over community needs. As misinformation and coordinated attacks on LGBTQ+ rights intensify globally, the organisation argues that accessible, fact-based journalism serves as a crucial tool for community liberation and effective activism.
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