Pedro Pascal, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Sabrina Carpenter are among the more than 100 celebrities who have signed an open letter calling for the protection of $50 million in federal funds earmarked for LGBTQ youth suicide prevention programs.
The letter comes following an April news report about the leaked draft of the budget of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.. The draft reportedly calls for plans to eliminate all funding for LGBTQ youth suicide prevention services through 988, a federal program that provides emergency crisis support to LGBTQ+ youth considering suicide.
“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 LGBTQ+ youth,” the beginning of the letter reads, in part. “We will not stay silent.”
The letter goes onto explain that since its launch in 2022, the 988 program has helped connect “nearly 1.3 million crisis contacts with life-saving, affirming care to LGBTQ+ young people during their most vulnerable moments. Suicide among LGBTQ+ youth is a public health crisis, and it should be treated as such.”
Other celebs to sign the letter include Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Paulson, Orville Peck, Bob the Drag Queen. Daniel Radcliffe, Troye Sivan, Alan Cumming, Margaret Cho, Nathan Lane, Kelsea Ballerini, director Paul Feig, Dylan Mulvaney, David Archuleta, Benito Skinner, Sutton Stacke, Franke Grande, Colton Underwood and “Wednesday” star Hunter Doohan.
“This is about people, not politics,” the letter also reads. “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. Stripping away this lifeline leaves LGBTQ+ youth with the message that their lives are not worth saving. We refuse to accept that message.”
Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black thanked those who signed the letter. “I am deeply grateful to the influential voices in entertainment who are speaking out and reminding the public that suicide prevention is about people – not politics,” he said in a statement. “It is clinical best practice for highly trained counselors to provide competent care to high-risk communities, including LGBTQ+ youth and veterans. LGBTQ+ young people disproportionately experience rejection, stigma, and discrimination, and are navigating a world that too often tells them they don’t belong.”
Read the full letter at thetrevorproject.org.
Watch the video below for “Stranger Things” star Noah Schnapp talking about Pride Month and offering advice to queer youth. I caught up with him Saturday at Netflix’s Tudum event in Los Angeles.
