LGBT suicide prevention and help hotlines are reporting that calls to their services have spiked since Donald Trump was elected president.
Trans Hotline, a nonprofit that focuses on suicide prevention for transgender people, has received at least five times the call volume it normally gets. And the Trevor Project, the nation’s only LGBT youth-focused suicide prevention hotline, received more calls, texts, and online chats on Wednesday than it’s gotten on a single day in four years, more than double its normal daily volume.
Callers expressed fear that many of the gains in LGBT rights made under the Obama administration—like access to trans-related health care—will be lost under Trump said Gretta Martela, director of Trans Hotline.
Callers expressed fear that many of the gains in LGBT rights made under the Obama administration—like access to trans-related health care—will be lost under Trump, Martela said. Medical experts have said that access to appropriate hormones and other treatments for gender dysphoria can be essential to a transgender person’s physical and mental health. “The Republicans are looking to repeal Obamacare,” Martela said. “So a lot of people are looking at losing their health care coverage.”
Steve Mendelsohn, deputy executive director of the Trevor Project, said queer youth who contacted his hotline shared similar concerns. “Ninety-five percent of them tell us that they’re worried about the election results,” he said. “And they’re telling us that they’re feeling anxious and scared…They talk about things that came up during the election campaign. So a fear that perhaps gay marriage will be reversed. Or that conversion therapy will be promoted. Or that their insurance might be taken away.”
Nearly 30 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth have attempted suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compared with less than 7 percent of straight youth.
No matter what your age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. PLEASE reach out if you need help or are feeling depressed.
- Gay & Lesbian National Support: 1-888-THE-GLNH (843-4564)
- Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Youth Support Line: 1-800-850-8078
- National Hotline for Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgendered Youth: 1-800-347-8336
- PRIDE Institute for Lesbian and Gay Mental Health: 1-800-547-7433)
- LGBT Hate Crime Hotline: 1-800-616-HATE (4283)
- Suicide Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE (2433)
- National Suicide Prevention Helpline: 1-800-273-TALK (8245)
- International Suicide Hotline List
- The Trevor Project: 866-488-7386
- Crisis Call Center: 1-800-273-8255
- Depression Hotline: 1-630-482-9696
- Suicide Crisis Line: 1-800-999-9999
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