If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the confidential National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or check out these resources from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming return to the White House has sparked anxiety and fear for some LGBTQ+ students, with crisis hotlines reporting a higher-than-normal volume of calls and messages since last week.
In an average month, the Rainbow Youth Project, a volunteer-run LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention group, receives 3,765 calls. From Nov. 1 to Nov. 7, though, the organization fielded more than 4,000 calls, according to Executive Director Lance Preston. The call volume started to spike in the month prior to the Nov. 5 election, and many of the conversations both before and after Election Day centered on children’s anxiety and fear about how a change in federal leadership may affect their physical and emotional safety both in and out of school.
On Nov. 2, as call volumes increased, the team had to put a child on hold for the first time since the beginning of its call line in April 2022, Preston said.
“I cried when I saw that in the summary report, to be honest with you, because I understand how hard it is for a child to make that initial call,” Preston said. “But when I saw the numbers, I was like, sadly, it’s understandable.”
Other LGBTQ+ youth crisis organizations have reported similar spikes in calls and messages in response to Trump’s victory following a campaign in which he pledged to get “transgender insanity the hell out of our schools” and “keep men out of women’s sports,” and deployed tens of millions of dollars in anti-trans ads.
The Trevor Project said in a news release that “contact volume”—generally youth reaching out for support either via calls or messages—was up 700 percent in the late-night hours of Election Day and through the following day compared with the previous weeks. Trevor Project officials said the calls began to spike when it became increasingly clear Trump would defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We anticipate this number will be at least maintained, and potentially only increase,” the organization said in a statement.
LGBTQ+ youth are more likely than their heterosexual peers to report mental health challenges, such as persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and suicidal ideation.
More than half of LGBTQ+ students last year, 53 percent, reported on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey that their mental health was not good most or all of the time, compared with 21 percent of heterosexual and cisgender students. LGBTQ+ students were also substantially more likely to consider suicide: 41 percent said they had seriously considered it in the past year, compared with 13 percent of heterosexual and cisgender students. LGBTQ+ students—who make up about a quarter of high school students, according to a CDC report last year—were also more likely to have actually attempted suicide.
Experts say it’s something educators should take seriously, and be prepared to offer additional support in the months to come.
Creating networks of support now—through peer-to-peer activities, establishing trusting relationships with adults in the building, and reiterating that LGBTQ+ students are cared for and safe in school—will make a difference in the long run, they say.
“Research shows that if we affirm who they are and their identities, if we create and follow through on policies that protect and value every student for who they are when they walk in that school door, then we will see stronger academic achievement in those students, and that’s what we want and need to see in education,” said Darrell Sampson, the executive director of student services for the Arlington school district in Virginia.
At the Rainbow Youth Project, Preston and his team are lobbying donors for additional funding to expand their ability to take more calls since they expect the demand to continue, especially through the winter months, which are typically the busiest.
Preston also acknowledged the important role of educators in ensuring children feel valued, calling teachers “frontline workers” in caring for students’ mental health and well-being.
“We have had many a kid whose entire suicidality and suicidal ideation was stopped because of a teacher,” he said. “Teachers spend a lot of time with these kids and are influential in their well-being, and having the vocabulary and understanding of the resources available for LGBTQ students can be life-saving.”
Early changes that could be in store in a second Trump administration
In Trump’s first term, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rescinded Title IX guidance on the rights of transgender students that required schools to allow students to use the restrooms that aligned with their gender identity and respond quickly to harassment of transgender students.
This time around, Trump’s fans and critics expect overturning President Joe Biden’s updated Title IX regulation, which expands the scope of the law’s prohibition on sex discrimination so it also applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, will be an early agenda item for the incoming president.
The new regulation is already on hold in 26 states and individual schools elsewhere as the result of litigation from Republican-led states.
Educators expect such policy changes to spur anxiety among LGBTQ+ students. Because these students are often “out” in school but not in other environments, it’s important for schools to be safe spaces, educators say.
“Don’t downplay students’ fears,” said Tara Kierstead, a counselor at Hall-Dale Middle School in Farmingdale, Maine, and the 2019 Maine School Counselor of the Year. “They have very real, big fears.
“Oftentimes, our students don’t know how to express their fears or where to go to safely do so,” Kierstead said. “Just listen to them—that seems so simple, but some of our students don’t feel like they have a voice, and being there to hear them is affirming and helpful.”
In the long term, schools need to ensure they have a culture that feels safe for all students, experts say. That means:
- Sending a clear message to students and families that they are committed to protecting LGTBQ+ students’ rights and creating a safe, inclusive environment. This could include policies addressing discrimination, bullying, and harassment that explicitly mention sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Ensuring students know what resources are available if they experience harassment or bullying or if they need other mental health support.
- Involving the whole school staff in enforcing any policies so students know they are important to follow.
“In order for kids to learn, they have to be ready to learn, and if you can’t reach them, you’re not going to be able to teach them,” said Amy Cannava, who chairs the sexual-orientation and gender-diversity committee for the National Association of School Psychologists.
Guides are available for supporting LGBTQ+ students during difficult times
There are also many organizations that have resources that schools can use to support their students. For instance, the National Association of School Psychologists has guides for supporting LGBTQ+ youth during troubling times.
In a resource developed by The Trevor Project, the organization says students’ stress may manifest in physical symptoms such as difficulty concentrating in class, disrupted sleep, and nausea.
The organization encourages students to practice calming breathing exercises, take breaks from social media and the news, reach out to friends and support networks, express themselves through art or journaling, and reach out to crisis organizations for support if emotions get overwhelming.
GLSEN, a nonprofit focused on safety and support for LGBTQ+ students, offers a variety of resources on its website, including guides on supporting LGBTQ+ students of color, policy recommendations to support LGBTQ+ students, and tips on supporting student-led gay-straight alliance clubs.
Students in crisis may reach an LGBTQ+-trained crisis counselor by calling the suicide and crisis hotline at 988 and pressing 3. The Rainbow Youth Project’s crisis line is 317-643-4888.
