Stars including Pedro Pascal, Ariana Grande, and Dua Lipa have joined the LGTBQ+ lobby in signing a letter demanding the continuation of federal funding for gay youth suicide prevention programs.
As the Trump administration moves to tighten federal spending, about 100 celebrities have joined to sign the letter calling for the protection of spending for the LGBTQ+ agenda, according to Variety.
The letter urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services not to cut funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline program after the upcoming budget proposal containing cuts to the program leaked to the public.
“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 letter reads. “We will not stay silent.”
“This is about people, not politics,” the letter continues. “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.”
Others who signed onto 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, and more.
The campaign is sponsored by The Trevor Project, a far-left, non-profit, LGBTQ+ suicide prevention organization.
A group of Democrats in the U.S. Senate sponsored a letter of their own demanding that the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration maintain the funding for the 998 program, and saying, “Given the Administration has claimed addressing youth mental health as a priority, elimination of specialized services specifically designed for at-risk youth is irresponsible.”
The cuts to the 988 program are only in the proposal stage and are not set in stone.
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