Overview

• Nikki Haley suggested that transgender girls in sports can be blamed for a rise in suicide rates among teens during a CNN town hall.
• Mental health experts and LGBTQ+ advocates expressed outrage on Twitter at Haley's town hall comments.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released comprehensive studies about a rise in suicidal ideation in teenage girls and LGBQ+ students, but no connection was drawn between the presence of transgender youth and those thoughts in teenage girls.
• Haley's remarks come amid a sharp rise in anti-trans laws across the country.
• Haley slightly backtracked, insisting that "we need to take care of these kids" but did not offer advice on how to square that call for humanity with her own suggestion.