Researchers and mental health professionals are gaining deeper insight into how identity shapes emotional well-being, stress, and support needs.

Throughout the 21st century, mental health awareness has risen, encouraging public conversation on issues once taboo to talk about. Societal awareness helped de-stigmatize going to therapy, taking medication, and talking openly about mental health issues, especially for younger generations.

Mental health experiences are not universal

While most Americans today believe mental health care is necessary, 75% still believe society discourages them from seeking help, BetterHelp reports. Modern mental health research is exploring how identity shapes mental health experiences, including access to care.

Gender and sexuality impact people’s lived experiences and stressors. Mental health care needs to take identity into account to provide accessible and effective care.

Today, providers are increasingly adopting a personalized, identity-informed treatment approach to improve mental health outcomes for people from all backgrounds.

How identity can shape mental health experiences

How people identify shapes most aspects of their lives. Race, gender, sexuality, culture, religion, and personal beliefs influence how people see each other and experience the world.

Identity can greatly impact people’s mental health. Not everyone has the same lived experience, and external factors play a role in emotional well-being. Certain communities and professions are exposed to higher rates of trauma and stress than the general population. Identity-related stressors, such as discrimination, can increase the prevalence of certain mental health issues.

Relationship dynamics and personal beliefs affect how people feel about themselves. Social acceptance of mental health issues varies within cultures and communities. These factors make it significantly harder for some individuals to address their concerns or seek help.

What research says about LGBTQ+ mental health

Research consistently shows that sexual and gender identity greatly impacts mental health. For over two decades, researchers have used the minority stress model to explore the social, psychological, and structural factors that impact LGBTQ+ individuals’ mental health.

Overall, LGBTQ+ populations experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, substance misuse, and suicide than cisgender, heterosexual populations.

Studies show that lesbian and bisexual women have especially high rates of substance misuse, while gay and bisexual men have higher rates of suicide attempts. Transgender and gender diverse youth experience higher rates of psychological distress than any other sexual minority group. Their identity is often more visible, which may lead to increased experiences of rejection, discrimination, trauma, and violent harm.

People from sexual minority groups experience consistent social stress, be it stigma or discrimination, compared to heterosexual popu

Walking into Windsor Park Elementary in Corpus Christi, Texas, it’s hard to miss the mass of bright, colorful paper balloons taped on the wall, displaying photos of dozens of children who have read at least 1 million words this school year.

“It’s something that the students are very, very proud of,” librarian Annelise Rodriguez, who created and manages the Millionaires Club, told The 74. “We’ve had kids come in when they take tours and say, ‘I’m going to be up there some day.’ Some kids get it in 45 books, and for others, it’s taken 360 books.”

The project was created three years ago to motivate and recognize young avid readers in the school of roughly 600 students. Just a few weeks ago, a grandmother who didn’t speak English bowed her head to thank Rodriguez after her grandchild’s photo finally made the display.

Last year, Windsor Park students read 400 million words as part of the Millionaires Club. They are on track to beat that record, with over 315 million words read by the end of February. It’s one of the ways the school has attained its high reading proficiency rates, an achievement that earned its ranking on The 74’s Bright Spots list. The highlighted schools have third-grade literacy scores that are much higher than might be expected, based on the schools’ poverty rates.

With its 29% poverty level, nearly two-thirds of Windsor Park third graders were projected to be proficient in reading in 2024, but its actual score was 96%. That rate jumped to 99% last year. Nearly 50% of students are Hispanic, 29% are white, and 15% are Asian.

Windsor Park is a magnet school for gifted and talented children. Texas schools are required to screen their students, and all children in the Corpus Christi Independent School District who score in the top 3% receive an invitation to transfer to Windsor Park, said Principal Kimberly Bissell. Transportation is provided.

The screening consists of multiple tests that grade students’ achievement in reading and math, as well as problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. Students can transfer in any grade to Corpus Christi’s gifted and talented schools.

Windsor Park is also the district’s only International Baccalaureate elementary school. The worldwide educational program allows teachers to write their own curriculum and offer rigorous instruction along with inquiry-based learning.

“We have kids who are in first grade reading at a middle school or hig

Omaira Garcia didn’t realize life on her small ranch in Abilene, Texas, was about to change forever until clouds of dust — kicked up by a mysterious project next door — began to engulf her home.

The Air Force veteran said she found out about OpenAI’s plans to build its flagship Stargate data center directly beside her property only after construction began in the summer of 2024. Today, the site’s natural-gas-powered electrical plant sits roughly 500 yards from her house, the exhaust stacks clearly visible from her kitchen window.

“We weren’t given any time to understand what this impact was going to be on us,” the mother of two said through tears. “We’re trapped here.”

OpenAI did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

A spokesperson for Stargate’s developer, Crusoe, told Floodlight that the data center has “contributed meaningfully to the economic development” of Abilene, and its investments are “funding new fire trucks, school expansions, and road improvements across the city.”

As President Donald Trump seeks to fast-track AI development across the country, he has found a willing ally in Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has previously referred to the industry as the state’s “gold rush” — though his enthusiasm has recently dampened in the face of widespread opposition.

With some 300 data centers already in operation and 200 more in development, Texas could surpass Virginia as the nation’s leading data center market by 2030. Amid the frenzy to capitalize on the AI boom, a regulatory loophole has allowed dozens of data centers like Stargate to quietly construct massive power sources that emit harmful pollutants with little to no public notice, a Floodlight investigation has found.

Typically, before you can build a major source of new emissions, you have to get a major air permit, which includes extensive environmental reviews and engagement with the local community. But in Texas, regulators have allowed some data centers like Stargate to avoid that process by first obtaining so-called minor air permits — the kind more commonly associated with dry cleaners, autobody shops, and rubber-stamped with minimal review.

“Those lower-level permits get granted very quickly and often without the public knowing,” said Kathryn Guerra, who spent nearly four years at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) before joining the watchdog group Public Citizen. “That feels pretty intentional.”

These minor permits — as well as the nondisclosure agreements many developers require in their dealings with local governments and residents — are how communities like Garcia’s are left stunned whe

For most businesses, energy is a line item that gets paid without much scrutiny. The bill arrives, it gets processed, and attention moves on to more pressing operational concerns. That approach is increasingly costly. Average commercial electricity rates rose 4.8% year over year as of early 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and for many businesses, summer is when that expense peaks hardest.

Whether that’s true for your operation depends on how and when your business uses energy. A manufacturer running heavy equipment around the clock faces different cost pressures than a retail location with high foot traffic on summer weekends. What’s consistent across business types is that summer introduces a specific set of variables, from heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning load to demand charge exposure to contract timing, that can drive costs significantly higher if they’re not actively managed. The businesses that know which of those variables apply to them are the ones working with professional energy consultants.

Shipley Energy explored why some businesses pay significantly more than others in energy costs during the summer months.

Why Summer Introduces Unique Cost Pressures

Summer doesn’t automatically mean higher energy bills for every business. But it does introduce a set of cost drivers that aren’t present in other seasons, and for operations with significant cooling needs, variable-rate electricity contracts, or high daytime energy use, those drivers can combine in ways that push costs to their annual high.

The most common factor is HVAC load: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning account for approximately 35% of all commercial building energy consumption on average, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In summer, cooling systems run at their maximum output for weeks at a stretch, and any inefficiency in those systems gets amplified by the sustained demand.

The cost structure compounds this. Most commercial electricity customers pay not just for how much energy they consume, but for the rate at which they consume it. Demand charges, billed based on a facility’s peak usage window (often as short as 15 or 30 minutes during a billing period), can represent a significant share of a commercial electricity bill independent of total consumption. On variable-rate contracts, summer price swings add another layer: During high-demand periods, wholesale prices can spike substantially above baseline rates.

For businesses where these factors align, summer becomes the season where energy costs peak and where the gap between managed and unmanaged energy spend is most visible.

What Commercial Energy Is Actually Costing Businesses

The scale of commercial energy spend in the U.S. is significant. The most recent completed Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey from the EIA found that U.S. commercial buildings spent $141 billion on energy in 2018. That figure has only grown since, with commercial electricity

Your mortgage loan is secured, the keys are in hand, and you’ve closed on that dream home you’re excited to move into. After clearing all these obstacles, the path ahead looks free and clear.

But not so fast, eager new homeowner. Are you prepared for the hidden price of ownership that many first-time buyers overlook, especially in the first year? Truth is, there could be a major gap between what you might expect when it comes to future residential bills and what you will actually pay.

For proof, consider a recent Zillow and Thumbtack analysis, which found that homeowners insurance, routine maintenance, and property taxes can set owners back nearly $16,000 annually. And nearly two in three American homeowners surveyed by Unlock admit that owning is more expensive than they expected before they purchased.

There’s no denying that home-related expenses are rising due to inflation, market pressures, and other factors. But you’re not alone in this struggle. TheZebra.com shares steps you can take to help lower the financial price tag of being a homeowner in 2026 and beyond.

The Insurance Bill Nobody Budgeted For

Property insurance premiums have jumped 48% in the past five years, surpassing household income growth. This helps explain why there’s a major disconnect between what homeowners thought they’d pay versus the actual bill: $2,692 versus $2,887, respectively, according to research from The Zebra. Three in four homeowners polled said homeowners insurance comprises a significant portion of their housing budget, with nearly half (47%) indicating they would encounter difficulty paying their mortgage if premiums increased.

“To close on a home, you really just need a policy that meets your mortgage lender’s requirements. Yet for a first-time buyer, that’s often where the research stops,” says Beth Swanson, insurance analyst with The Zebra. “If you’ve never filed a claim or owned a home before, it’s easy to underestimate what your coverage actually includes or what it might be missing. But once you’ve settled in, you start to realize there are add-ons worth considering — like sewer backup coverage, service line protection, and similar endorsements that weren’t part of the initial conversation.”

Keep in mind that rate quotes provided before a home closing often don’t reflect actual renewal rates, which can increase suddenly with little warning. And in some markets, many homeowners can’t even renew their insurance because insurers are pulling out or refusing to underwrite policies due to costly claims in that area and other reasons.

“Insurance premiums today are often higher than anticipated because risks have increased significantly, from severe weather to rising rebuilding costs,” Janet Ruiz, director of Strategic Communicati