• Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth are experiencing compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic due to unique social inequalities, and existent risks for mental health and substance use challenges, including alcohol use disorders and anxiety and depression.
• Substance use disorders are emerging and accelerating as a result of the pandemic., especially among young women, university students, and racial/ethnic minority and young persons.
• Research has yet to reveal how alcohol use specifically is associated with mental health among SGM populations, as a result of COVID-19.
• Despite the needs of these populations, SGM persons and university students have received limited public health attention in this time, displaying a missed public health opportunity.

The current study aims to cross-sectionally and retrospectively examine the association between changes in alcohol use since the start of COVID-19 and psychological distress among SGM young persons in U.S. universities.

• The primary hypothesis states that increased alcohol use would be associated with greater psychological distress among SGM university students.
• The secondary hypothesis states that the relationship would be stronger for SGM university students assigned female compared to assigned male at birth.