VROOM! VROOM! –
June 22, 2021 – “Talking about mental health makes it seem less threatening, and a bit more normalized – it’s so important for people to accept that they might have some issues to work through without any shame,” said Goode, whose legal name is Samuel Geggie, in a release. “I haven’t really been able to speak on mental health since having a public platform, and a lot has changed in terms of the help I’m getting and the way I treat myself.”
The runner up on season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race spoke with the medical director and a therapist at All Points North Lodge, a treatment center for mental health conditions, about the unique mental health issues the LGBTQ+ community faces amid continued stigma and discrimination. Goode, who is nonbinary, is also working on a new project with I-Heart Radio in collaboration with HBO Max’s new show, “Generation,” breaking down the queer experience for youth today. Suicide rates are especially high among LGBTQ+ youth, specifically transgender and gender-nonconforming youth, and the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. The Trevor Project estimates that at least one LGBTQ+ person between the ages of 13 and 24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds, and more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth seriously consider suicide each year.
