As President Donald Trump delivered his second inaugural address on Monday, January 20, an American LGBTQ+ youth charity has reported a surge in calls to its crisis hotline.
Trump outlined his anti-LGBTQ+ policies on Monday, January 20, including banning trans people from the military and sports and announcing “As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”
“Our hotline serves as a critical lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth grappling with the challenges of bullying, social stigmatisation, and the looming threat of institutionalised discrimination,” said Kristen Johnston, case manager and crisis team leader at the Rainbow Youth Project.
“The data we’re seeing is alarming, and it underscores the urgent need for advocacy, community support, and immediate action to protect our youth.”
According to the Williams Institute at UCLA’s Law School, 1.3 million Americans identify as transgender, including 300,000 youth.
The Rainbow Youth Project says it typically handles around 3,765 calls per month, but that number more than doubled in November and December after Trump’s election victory, exceeding 8,000 calls monthly. In January, the hotline received 3,925 calls in just 19 days.