After Trump Got Elected, There Was A 700% Spike In LGBT Crisis Hotline Calls
LGBTQIA+ crisis hotline The Trevor Project has reported they received a staggering 700% increase in calls and texts following the election of Donald Trump as president last week.
An analysis showed the prominent LGBTQIA+ crisis service saw a spike in people seeking help of 200% in the early hours of November 6 — just as the election was called.
By the evening of November 7, this spike had risen dramatically, to 700%.
Additionally, staff at the crisis hotline reported that election-related content in conversations increased by nearly 5200% leading up to election day.
“The current political environment in the US is heavy, but it is so important for LGBTQ+ young people to know that they do not have to shoulder this weight alone,” said The Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black.
“The Trevor Project’s counsellors are here 24/7 for any LGBTQ+ young person who needs support – and we will never stop fighting for your right to be safe, supported, and seen exactly as you are.”
Crisis hotline says 90% of LGBTQIA+ youth wellbeing negatively affected by recent politics
Research published this year from the US-based charity found that 90% of LGBTQIA+ young people said their wellbeing was negatively effected because of recent politics.
Nearly half of transgender and non-binary youth reported that they or their family had considered moving to a different state because of anti-queer laws.
Anti-LGBT legislation set to increase under a Trump administration
Despite being under a Democratic government for the last few years, a record number of anti-LGBTQIA+ policies have been introduced and implemented in the last year alone — something we already expect to see increase under a Trump government.
During his term as president, Trump implemented an executive order, Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty, which stated that federal law had to respect conscience-based objections to comply with the First Amendment, indirectly allowing conservative Christian businesses to refuse service to queer people.
Later, he controversially banned transgender people from serving in the armed forces, although he eventually revoked the directive and implemented a new policy allowing existing trans soldiers to remain in the military, but banning new recruits from joining.
In this Presidential race, the Republicans dedicated a large portion of their election platform to dehumanising trans and gender diverse people, spending over $65 million USD in television ads since August.
Trump’s running partner, JD Vance, has a history of opposing trans rights in his short time as senator, and in 2023 sponsored a bill that sought to impose criminal sanctions on doctors who performed gender-affirming care for minors. He also said he would vote no on the Respect for Marriage Act, which provided federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages.
The 2024 Republican Party Platform addresses two queer issues specifically, vowing to cut funding for schools pushing “critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content”, and “keep[ing] men out of women’s sports.”