After the re-election of former President Donald Trump, crisis hotlines for LGBTQ+ youth have seen unprecedented surges in phone calls, with many teens expressing anxiety, fear, and talks of suicide.
LGBTQ+ youth community across the country have faced heightened mental health challenges. Many share feelings of abandonment and fear of losing gender-affirming care under a second Trump administration.
The Rainbow Youth Project received a distressing call from a 16-year-old in Alabama just days before the 2024 election. The teen revealed they were part of a suicide pact with three other LGBTQ+ teenagers who agreed to end their life should Trump win.
Fortunately, the organization intervened and was able to prevent the tragedy, the 74 reported.
"They had decided that if Trump won the election, that they were going to kill themselves because that meant that the United States people did not want them here and did not want their existence to be accepted," Lance Preston, the organization's executive director, said. "I'm so thankful that that young person reached out to report that, because we were able to get to the other kids, get their parents involved and do some mitigation and get them some help. But that would have been four kids that we would have lost. That is unacceptable."
The Trevor Project reported a dramatic increase in crisis calls, with requests for help doubling in the days after Election Day.
"In just the past few days, The Trevor Project has seen a nearly 200% increase in conversation topics related to the election across our 24/7 crisis services," Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said. "90% of LGBTQ+ young people said recent politics negatively impacted their well-being and, transgender youth have been disproportionately impacted – with new research showing anti-transgender policies increased suicide attempts among transgender youth by as much as 72%.
The increase in calls has put a significant strain on crisis hotlines, many of which are now working extended hours to shorten wait times.
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