In the wake of the Trump administration’s disgusting abandonment of trans students, Trans Lifeline has received so many donations that its website crashed.
WOW! The overwhelming support since Wed brought us to tears, broke our site, and smashed monthly goal! Let’s hit $200k for #TransRights! ❤️💪
— Trans Lifeline (@Translifeline) February 24, 2017
However, there was also a greater need for their services this week. Calls to both Trans Lifeline and the Trevor Project increased in the wake of the administration’s decision. The spike was not nearly as high as that after the November 8 election, but it still represented a significant bump. Indeed, increased need is likely to be the new normal for these services under the Trump administration. As Nina Chaubal, Trans Lifeline Director of Operations, put it, “In many ways, the story our call volume tells is our community being in more or less constant crisis since November.”
Even with all the donations, Trans Lifeline is still behind their $200,000 goal–so if you were considering donating, know that the money is still needed. The Trevor Project also provides similar services for LGBTQ youth, including texting and online messaging options for those who cannot or prefer not to speak on the phone.
The Trump administration recently revoked Obama-era guidelines which directed public schools to allow students to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. As Trans Lifeline wrote in a blog on Medium, these guidelines not only advocated for basic human decency and provided for constitutionally guaranteed equal access to education; they also represented a historic outreach toward and recognition of trans Americans.
“Less than a year ago, the United States government addressed the transgender community directly for the first time in history. The President created guidelines for schools across the country, instructing them to allow transgender children to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender identity, or they would lose federal funding. They told us, ‘We see you, we stand with you, and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward,’ in a profoundly moving address by the Attorney General. For many of us, it was the first time we felt recognized and safe in our own country.”
The Trump administration has undone all of that, despite repeated assertions about his record on LGBTQ rights. Remember when the White House released a statement claiming, “President Donald J. Trump is determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community”? Just one more lie of many.
Trans Lifeline is always open, and it’s staffed by trans people for trans people. You can reach them by phone at 877-565-8860. The Trevor Project is also available at 866-488-7386, along with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Many, if not all of these places also have text lines open for anybody who might not feel up to talking.
(Via Teen Vogue, Huffington Post, and Mic; image via screengrab from Trans Lifeline’s YouTube video)
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