Pedro Pascal, Daniel Radcliffe, Sabrina Carpenter, and Ariana Grande, among a coalition exceeding 100 prominent figures, have spoken out against the Trump administration's proposal to slash funding for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention initiatives. In a poignant open letter, released on Monday by the esteemed nonprofit, the Trevor Project, these luminaries united in their plea to safeguard $50 million in federal funds, vital for sustaining life-affirming mental health programs.
The letter opens with a poignant declaration: "Our hearts are shattered by the plan to strip federal funding from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services—an action poised to inflict catastrophic, life-endangering repercussions on young individuals nationwide. As artists, creators, and public faces, our platforms carry a weighty responsibility. Today, that duty is unmistakable: we must raise our voices to shield the mental wellbeing and existence of LGBTQ+ youth. Silence is not an option."
This appeal follows a budget blueprint leak from President Donald Trump's administration, unveiled weeks prior, outlining intentions to eradicate all financing for the 988 federal program, a lifeline offering emergency crisis support to LGBTQ+ youth contemplating suicide. Should these cuts materialize, they would take effect from October 1st. The open letter underscores that since its inception in 2022, the 988 federal funding program has facilitated "nearly 1.3 million critical connections, offering life-saving, validating care to LGBTQ+ youth in their moments of greatest vulnerability."
Among the other celebrities lending their signatures are Sarah Paulson, Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berk, Cara Delevingne, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dua Lipa, Darren Criss, Bob the Drag Queen, Troye Sivan, Aly & AJ, Alan Cumming, Margaret Cho, Nathan Lane, Kelsea Ballerini, Diplo, Paul Feig, Dylan Mulvaney, Josh Hutcherson, David Archuleta, Benito Skinner, Orville Peck, Colton Underwood, and Eugene Lee Yang.
The letter proceeds, "Suicide among LGBTQ+ youth constitutes a public health emergency, deserving of such treatment. LGBTQ+ youth are over four times more likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers. This is an issue of humanity, not partisanship. Amidst profound divisions, let this serve as a unifying point: no young soul should be deserted without assistance in their darkest hour. Revoking this lifeline sends a message to LGBTQ+ youth that their lives are not deemed worthy of saving. We refuse to embrace that message."
It concludes with a resounding call: "We rise together—vociferously and resolutely—for hope, for dignity, and to assure every LGBTQ+ young person that their lives hold immeasurable value, and that there will invariably be someone on the receiving end of their call."
Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the signatories in a statement, remarking, "I am profoundly thankful to the influential voices in entertainment who are speaking truth to power and reminding the public that suicide prevention is a matter of human lives, not political agendas."
Many of the signatories have been stalwart advocates for LGBTQ+ rights over the years. Pascal, who has a transgender sister, recently garnered attention for calling out J.K. Rowling after she publicly applauded a UK Supreme Court ruling that excludes transgender women from the legal definition of womanhood under Britain's Equality Act, labeling it "heinous loser behavior" in an Instagram comment.
