In Texas, a queer couple has invested both passion and resources into their land, only to have entire crops wiped out by a hurricane one year and lost to drought the next. Farming can be incredibly stressful, with suicide rates in the agricultural sector two to three times higher than in any other industry. While the mental health crisis in agriculture is well documented, discussion about how it intersects with LGBTQ+ identities has been scarce.
A study released last year by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign revealed that LGBTQ+ people in farming are “over three times more likely to experience depression and suicidal intent and about two and a half times more likely to experience anxiety than the general population.” Now, as the Trump administration seeks to strip queer and transgender people in the U.S. of basic rights, LGBTQ+ Americans face increased mental health risks.
For this reporting project, Nicole J. Caruth interviews LGBTQ+ farmers in the American South who are coming together to support each other, both mentally and emotionally.
