Hopelessness is a significant psychological predictor of suicide risk and is often linked to a lack of character strengths. Individuals with underdeveloped character strengths may struggle to find meaning or purpose in their lives, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness. This cycle can create a feedback loop where hopelessness erodes character strengths, which in turn increases suicide risk. In studies that explore these relationships, gender differences may also play a role, as societal expectations and norms can influence how individuals experience and express character strengths. Transgender individuals are often at a greater risk of developing issues related to hopelessness, which can further contribute to suicidal ideation. Also, women and men could be at different risks of hopelessness depending on their emotional profiles. This study aimed to model the influence of 24-character strengths, negative (anger and fear) and positive emotions on hopelessness and suicide ideation among cisgender and transgender individuals. 480 individuals participated in an online psychological evaluation using inventories to assess character strengths, emotional affect, hopelessness, suicide ideation and sociodemographic variables. Of the 420 who self-identified as cisgender, they were equally distributed among three groups: high school, undergraduate students, and adults, each with 80 women and 80 men. An additional group of 60 transgender participants was also evaluated. Two structural equation models described distinct relations for both cisgender groups. A bootstrapped model for the transgender individuals did not resemble either cisgender group. The main difference among the three models resided in the emotional configuration of each group and the impact this configuration had on 8-character strengths (emotional and interpersonal) and over hopelessness. This study points out the need to understand the influence of gender on hopelessness and character strengths for developing effective interventions that can reduce suicide risk and promote resilience among those experiencing hopelessness.