After Trump was elected, LGBTQ suicide hotlines saw a major spike in calls

By Fusion Staff  |  November 12, 2016 | 8:59pm
Latest

Queer suicide-prevention hotlines the Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline have reported a significant increase in calls after Donald Trump became president-elect just a few short days ago. “We started getting increased call volume at about 10 p.m. on election night, and it hasn’t slowed down at all,” Trans Lifeline’s Greta Martela told Mother Jones.

Many general suicide hotlines have also reported similar spikes. “We haven’t seen anything like that in our history,” John Draper of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline told the Verge.

Martela attributes it to the increase in Republican power during this election, not limited to Trump. “For them to have the House, the Senate, and the presidency is pretty frightening for LGBT people,” she told the Verge.

Many callers said they were scared that a Trump administration would roll back the gains made by LGBTQ people under Obama, however halting they may have been. And indeed, Trump has suggested he would appoint Supreme Court justices that would vote to revoke same-sex marriage rights and expressed support for North Carolina’s anti-trans “bathroom bill,” HB2.

That’s not to mention Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s policies towards queer people, which include advocating for conversion therapy and signing a “religious freedom” bill legalizing discrimination against the LGBTQ community in Indiana on the basis of religious belief.

“I just think it’s getting hard for people to keep having hope,” Martela told the Washington Post. “We have a lot of work to do in this country. And it’s stalled for the next four years, and that’s pretty bad.”

Sam Stecklow is the Weekend Editor for Fusion.

 
Join the discussion...