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Donald Trump Linked To LGBT Suicide Hotline Call Spike: Fears Include Gay Marriage & Health Care

By Joanne Eglash
Published on: 01:55 PST, Nov 15, 2016

Donald Trump’s win is reportedly paralleling a spike in calls to LGBT suicide hotlines. The soaring number of calls comes amid speculation about where Trump stands regarding issues ranging from gay marriage to transgender bathrooms to health care.

“One hotline received five times its usual call volume,” Mother Jones magazine told readers.

Since Donald was elected president, calls to two LGBT suicide prevention hotlines have soared, both revealed to the magazine. One nonprofit whose focus is on preventing transgender suicides, Trans Hotline, shared that its call volume is five times the normal rate.

“We started getting increased call volume at about 10 p.m. on election night, and it hasn’t slowed down at all,” noted Gretta Martela, the director of Trans Hotline. “In fact, it’s on the rise still.”

Will Donald Trump impact LGBT rights? [Image by Evan Vucci/File/AP Images]

On a typical day, the Trans Hotline gets approximately 100 calls. In contrast, in the 24-hour period before the magazine’s interview, the hotline got 523 calls, according to its director.

The nation has only one LGBT suicide prevent hotline that focuses on youth, which is the Trevor Project, and it also is experiencing a spike in calls, Mother Jones told readers.

“The nation’s only LGBT youth-focused suicide prevention hotline received more calls, texts, and online chats on Wednesday than it’s gotten on a single day in four years, more than double its normal daily volume.”

As for the specific concerns, Martela clarified that those calling the hotline worry that after achieving LGBT gains during the Obama administration, such as “trans-related health care,” they will lose those gains during the Trump administration.

“The Republicans are looking to repeal Obamacare,” noted Martela. “So a lot of people are looking at losing their health care coverage.”

Will Donald Trump appoint a conservative judge to the Supreme Court who could potentially impact LGBT rights? [Image by Elswick/File/AP Images]

Other issues include being denied access to bathrooms matching their gender identity, along with an increase in anti-trans hate crimes. Deputy executive director of the Trevor Project Steve Mendelsohn expressed related concerns.

“Ninety-five percent of them tell us that they’re worried about the election results,” he said.

“They’re telling us that they’re feeling anxious and scared… a fear that perhaps gay marriage will be reversed.”

Other fears include promoting “conversion therapy” along with losing insurance, added Mendelsohn.

While President Obama supported the drive to allow transgender students to “use the bathroom of their choice at school,” that may change in the new Trump era, reported the Associated Press.

“There’s no question a lot of transgender students and their parents woke up Wednesday morning really scared,” stated Sarah McBride, 26, who is a transgender activist and national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT-rights group.

“I’m feeling the way a lot of folks are feeling — worried that the heart of this country isn’t big enough to love us, too.”

In addition to the Human Rights Campaign, many gay-rights organizations “worked vigorously on behalf of Hillary Clinton,” pointed out the AP. Consequently, in the wake of Trump’s victory, they are speculating about how issues such as same-sex marriage might be impacted as well as the overall climate of the nation.

“It hurts,” summed up Rachel Tiven, CEO of the LGBT-rights group Lambda Legal. “Our beautiful, slowly improving, two-steps-forward-one-step-back country took a giant step backward.”

Amid those concerns, Donald discussed same-sex marriage during his initial interview as president-elect, talking with Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes Sunday night, reported People.

Trump revealed that he does not have plans to battle the Supreme Court’s ruling that legalized same-sex unions throughout the nation.

“It’s irrelevant because it was already settled,” said Donald about supporting same-sex marriage. “It’s law. It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean it’s done.”

As for the possibility that same-sex marriage laws could be altered if Trump chose a conservative judge to appoint to the Supreme Court, Donald emphasized that the cases have been settled.

“These cases have gone to the Supreme Court. They’ve been settled,” Trump stated.

However, Buzzfeed cautioned that Trump could impact “regulations that protect LGBT patients, renters, and homeless people,” along with re-implementing the bans on gay and transgender service members.

“They could put in an outright ban on LGBT service in the military,” noted Sue Fulton, a former Army captain and president of SPARTA, which is an organization of LGBT military service members.

With regard to the hot-button topic of health care, Donald has indicated his desire to have the Affordable Care Act “amended, or repealed and replaced.” While Obamacare includes a ban on LGBT discrimination by health care providers, insurers, and agencies who are part of the program, Trump potentially could alter those guidelines, according to Buzzfeed.

[Featured Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images]

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