Dua Lipa, Pedro Pascal & 100 Others Sign LGBTQIA+ Suicide Prevention Letter
After the US Department of Health and Human Services leaked news of the potential funding cuts.
This pride month, more than 100 celebrities, including Sabrina Carpenter, Pedro Pascal, Dua Lipa, and Ariana Grande, have come together to back an open letter spearheaded by The Trevor Project to protect the $50 million in federal funding dedicated to suicide prevention resources for LGBTQIA+ youth. This comes just as President Donald Trump’s administration declared to change June’s Pride Month to Title IX Month, a month “dedicated to commemorating women and celebrating their struggle for, and achievement of, equal educational opportunity,” as stated in a press release for the Department of Education, marking multiple attempts by the administration to dismantle the LGBTQIA+ community.
A few months prior, the US Department of Health and Human Services leaked news of the potential funding cuts for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQIA+ services, an critical hotline for the LGBTQIA+ community to confidentially receive support from trained counsellors 24/7 over text, chat, or phone call.
Its result could be catastrophic, and nonprofit organization The Trevor Project, which has been a lifeline for LGBTQIA+ youth in crisis, didn’t mince words over the administration’s proposed plans. “We are heartbroken by the proposal to eliminate federal funding,” the letter states, “a move that will have devastating, life-threatening consequences for young people across the country. As artists, creators, and public figures, our platforms come with responsibility. And today, that responsibility is clear: we must speak out to protect the mental health and lives of LGBTQIA+ youth. We will not stay silent.”
The stakes couldn’t be clearer: LGBTQIA+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers, with an estimated number of 1.8 million considering harming themselves, according to The Trevor Project’s research. “This is about people, not politics,” the letter continues. “At a time of deep division, let this be something we as people can all agree on: no young person should be left without help in their darkest moment.”
The statement has since garnered signatures from a wide range of voices, including Paris Hilton, Cara Delevingne, Dylan Mulvaney, Gabrielle Union-Wade, Rickey Thompson, Troye Sivan, and many more, all standing in solidarity to support the LGBTQIA+ community.
