This past week, the Trevor Project – the nation’s largest LGBTQ youth crisis intervention & suicide prevention organization – reported a dramatic spike in calls, text messages and online chats overall, and most specifically from transgender youth following President Trump’s tweet regarding transgender military service members and the announcement of the “bathroom bill” in the Texas legislature.
Of the approximately 178 contacts per day (on average) received by The Trevor Project, 7.3 percent typically self-identify as transgender. However, within 24 hours after President Trump’s tweet regarding transgender military service members, contacts from transgender individuals spiked to 17.5 percent of all contacts. Furthermore, in the week after the Texas legislature introduced the anti-trans “bathroom bill,” contacts from transgender young people doubled to 14.7 percent.
“This data makes clear that our elected officials can no longer ignore that their anti-transgender rhetoric is putting lives at risk,” said Trevor Project CEO and Executive Director Amit Paley. “Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation directly leads to crisis among our community’s young people. While The Trevor Project will continue to be there for them around the clock, our elected officials must stop throwing young people into crisis for political gain. Discrimination is un-American, and we will hold to account those legislators who attack the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community.”
The Trevor Project is available 24/7/365 for LGBTQ young people who need someone to talk with. Call the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386. Text and chat counseling is available from 3-10pm EST every day at www.thetrevorproject.org/help.
Locally, there are several transgender support groups and counseling resources available. The LGBT Life Center hosts the Gender Expression Movement (GEM), a trans masculine group, a trans feminine group, gender non-conforming group and a transgender military support group. For more information about these support groups, visit the LGBT Life Center or call at (757) 640-0929.
