The closure of a major LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention hotline has left queer youth feeling more fearful. The hotline served 1.5 million callers over three years and provided critical support through trained professionals for LGBTQ+ youth. The Trump administration ended funding for LGBTQ+-specific programs, claiming the hotline will now serve all help seekers, but this reasoning ignores the high suicide rates among LGBTQ+ youth. This decision and others signal a lack of safety and tailored support for queer individuals in the current political climate.
"The removal of the queer youth line, and any youth line, will bluntly send people into silence and result in more fatalities. This choice terrifies me," said Elsa Frankel, a student at Wellesley College.
The Trump administration has defended the shutdown by saying the hotline will 'no longer silo LGB+ youth services'—notably erasing the 'T' for transgender—to 'focus on serving all help seekers.'
LGBTQ+ youth experience disproportionately high suicide rates, being more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, and thus require more tailored care.
The closing of the hotline cements a message that has become increasingly clear: LGBTQ+ folks are not safe in Trump's America.
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