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I was on a leisurely neighborhood walk with my pup My Guy this past Sunday evening, battling end-of-the-weekend blues compounded by the bleak task of living through 2025 America, when we turned onto a main street. Smack in the middle of the block, our fabulous local gay bar had put up huge ribbons of fabric stretching from their awning all the way to the top of the three-story building, one long sheet for each of the colors of the rainbow flag. And then I remembered, “It’s June — Happy Pride Month!” Needless to say, the joyous display lifted my glum spirits. Now more than ever, such a bold celebration of pride is an act of political bravery.
Which brings us to the latest bit of lethal dumbf-ckery from the confederacy of dunces running our government: the House recently passed Trump’s bigly bad budget bill, that guts vital lifesaving government programs. Among the proposed cuts, is a defunding of the 988 suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth. The Trevor Project is one of seven national organizations that receives funding for the hotline. So the merry band of misfit theater kids turned celebrities are coming to Trevor Project’s aid, with over 100 stars signing an open letter to keep funding in place:
More than 100 celebrities from across the entertainment industry have signed a letter calling for the protection of funding for a federal program that provides emergency crisis support to LGBTQ+ youth considering suicide.
The Trevor Project said today that it is at risk of losing $25 million in funding for its 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services. The list of signatories includes Ariana Grande, Pedro Pascal, Daniel Radcliffe, Gabrielle Union-Wade, Dwayne Wade, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Cara Delevingne, Christina Aguilera, Troye Sivan, Sarah Paulson, Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming, Kelsea Ballerini, Tove Lo, Sophia Bush, Josh Hutcherson, Jonathan Van Ness, and many more across film, music, TV, sports, theatre, comedy, fashion, culinary arts, and book publishing.
The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act was signed into law in October 2020 by President Donald Trump.
“I am deeply grateful to the influential voices in entertainment who are speaking out and reminding the public that suicide prevention is about people — not politics,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project. “It is clinical best practice for highly trained counselors to provide competent care to high-risk communities, including LGBTQ+ youth and veterans. LGBTQ+ young people disproportionately experience rejection, stigma, and discrimination, and are navigating a world that too often tells them they don’t belong. We must send a louder message back: millions of people are fighting for you to lead the happy, healthy lives you deserve.”
Yup, you read that right: Trump wants to cut funding to an actually successful bill that he himself signed in 2020. So much for using a sharpie. Since the 988 hotline launched in 2022, 1.3 million contacts (calls, texts, online chats) have come in from vulnerable, at risk LGBTQ+ people. The hotline works; it saves lives and connects people with mental health and other resources. So let’s kick off Pride Month by adding our names to the open letter. You can read the letter in full here, and add your name to the petition here. The Trevor Project’s suicide and crisis lifeline is free and open all hours by call, text, or online chat. When I added my signature last night, they were nearing 10,000 signatures. But I’d like to see it go even higher, and live up to the millions Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black called for: “Millions of people are fighting for you to lead the happy, healthy lives you deserve.”
Thank u for the link to the petition. The anger and heartbreak I feel sometimes, whew. Trying to channel it into good rather than despair.
Pedro lost his mother to suicide.
He’s also one of the biggest supporters there is.
I signed, thanks for bringing the link to the petition here.
I feel so hopeless.
I don’t have much but i do give to local charities, Tulip House, that helps trans youth, and The First 72, which helps men recently released from prison in Louisiana.
Have to do a little.
But it feels so overwhelming.
Thank you Ariel for the mentions to those orgs. I’m going o check them out.
Thanks for the post and the link!