LGBTQ+ hotlines experience influx in crisis calls amid 2024 presidential election

Crisis services for the LGBTQ+ community have seen a sharp uptick in usage during election week, according to a national LGBTQ+ organization.

Since around midnight on Tuesday, The Trevor Project's classic crisis services, which include a lifeline, chat and text, have experienced an approximately 125% increase in contact compared to normal days, The Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

This influx follows a 200% increase in election-related conversations to The Trevor Project's classic crisis services reported Nov. 3-4. Key words like "election" and "rights" were used to determine this figure, according to a news release.

Increased rates of outreach to The Trevor Project come after the LGBTQ+ community was commonly thrust into discourse on the presidential campaign trail and as the community feels anxious about future legislation.

'Making sure that the vulnerable among us are connected'

Local, regional and national LGBTQ+ organizations have been offering extended resources ahead of the election and since the results rolled in Wednesday morning that former President Donald Trump was elected to serve a second term.

Aaron Schekorra, executive director of The GLO Center, an LGBTQ+ resource center in southwest Missouri, said his priority is providing resources for his local queer community amid his disappointment and fear over the presidential election results. The GLO Center opened for several hours on Wednesday as a space for "post-election decompression."

On a larger scale, organizations like The Trevor Project are continuing to operate crisis service lines as an influx of queer individuals reach out for support.

"Some of the most important work we can do is making sure that the vulnerable among us are connected to our communities," Schekorra told USA TODAY. "That way, when we start feeling the impacts of this election, beyond just sort of the immediate mental and emotional health impacts, that we can respond and try to keep those individuals safe, get them the resources they need."

Hotlines experience influx in election-related calls

The Trevor Project's 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, conducted in late 2023, found that 90% of LGBTQ+ youth felt their wellbeing was negatively impacted because of recent politics.

“The Trevor Project wants LGBTQ+ young people to know that we are here for you, no matter the outcome of any election," Black said in their statement. "LGBTQ+ young people, your (lives) matters, and you were born to live (them).”

Though not dedicated solely to the LGBTQ+ community, Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit that provides free, confidential text-based mental health support and crisis intervention, launched an election-dedicated hotline on Sept. 16. The free, 24/7 line allows folks with concerns directly related to the upcoming election to connect with mental health supervisors, clinicians and volunteers. As of Thursday morning, the election hotline remained open.

According to Crisis Text Line Chief Health Officer Shairi Turner, since early September, more than 1,500 conversations involving the mention of politics were had on the text line, and there has been an increase in use of the service by LGBTQ+ individuals.

On Friday, Nov. 1, 48% of Crisis Text Line users identified as LGBTQ+, Turner said. On Election Day, the number of LGBTQ+ users rose to 56%.

"LGBTQ+ stress has also been one of the sources of election- and politics-related stress in our conversations with texters, often as a topic of conflict between loved ones, losing friends to political arguments, conflicts over social media posts," Turner told USA TODAY.

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Gender-affirming care, among other concerns

Gender-affirming care and social transitioning (a non-medical transition) for gender-queer individuals, specifically children, are among the main concerns held by the LGBTQ+ community, as opposition to transgender rights was a part of Trump's campaign.

Leading up to the election, as of Oct. 9, the Trump campaign and several Republican groups had spent more than $21 million on anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans television ads, according to ABC News.

During an October rally at Madison Square Garden, Trump told his supporters that he would get "transgender insanity the hell out of our schools and we will keep men out of women's sports," per Associated Press reporting.

Elizabeth Ortiz-Schwartz, a psychiatrist at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut, has worked with LGBTQ+ youth for 20 years. She said ahead of this year's presidential election, many LGBTQ+ teens expressed fear of socially transitioning because they were worried about violence, bullying and rejection. These concerns defer from those in years past.

"Previously, there was a better sense of fitting in and having a supportive environment in schools in other settings, but now they feel that they cannot trust their peers and other adults to be supportive of their needs," Ortiz-Schwartz told USA TODAY.

Brent Satterly, a social work professor at Pennsylvania's Widener University, has been married to his husband since 1993, before same-sex marriage was made federally legal in 2015. Looking to the future, Satterly said he is worried about the status of his marriage.

"I did not think I'd see marriage equality in my lifetime and now, I'm afraid that will be overturned," Satterly said.

Trump's views on same-sex marriage have been inconsistent over the years.

During his campaign in 2016, Trump said he would strongly consider appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn the 2015 same-sex ruling, as he believed same-sex marriage was a "state's rights issue." But after he won the 2016 presidential election, Trump said he had no plans on overturning the ruling, because "it was settled in the Supreme Court."

'Get plugged in'

Schekorra expressed the importance of queer people tapping into their communities.

"We know that after disappointing elections in the past for the queer community, there's been a lot of isolation. People have isolated themselves following those results and that is often not the best thing for people to do," he said. "There's really no great answers other than get plugged in and find a support system because you're going to need one if you didn't have one before."

Satterly echoed Schekorra. If connecting with other queer people in person isn't an option, Satterly recommended finding a queer family online.

An example is TrevorSpace, an online community for LGBTQ+ folks ages 13-24. Hosted by The Trevor Project, TrevorSpace offers features like discussion forms and a writers club. The community is free and participants must become members for security purposes.

How can allies help?

Satterly said the most important thing allies can do is not minimize the concerns of their LGBTQ+ family and friends.

Satterly also recommended practical care, like cooking a homemade meal, offering to do someone's laundry, taking a friend out to lunch or just sitting at home and watching a movie together.

"A good clinical strategy, when somebody is wanting to talk about things, it's good to ask, 'Okay, do you want a hug, do you want some food, do you want to problem solve or do you just want me to shut up (and listen)?" Satterly said. "Those are good strategies instead of coming over and saying, 'This is what you should do.'"

A look at Trump's anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, rhetoric

Since his first election in 2016, Trump has supported some anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and those who favor it.

The Trump administration, in 2018, encouraged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop using the words "transgender," "diversity," "vulnerable" and "science-based," among others in official documents.

In 2019, Trump opposed the passage of the Equality Act, a bill that would have amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. The piece of legislation remains popularly discussed and yet to be passed.

During his time in office, Trump also prohibited transgender people from openly serving in the military, flat-funded HIV/AIDS work globally and pushed for exemptions that would allow health care providers to refuse care to transgender people, in addition to people with HIV/AIDS, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.

USA TODAY contacted Trump's campaign for a statement on the president-elect's stances on LGBTQ+ legislation but did not receive a response by deadline.

Need to talk? Here are resources geared toward the LGBTQ+ community

• LGBT National Hotline: Call 888-843-4564
• LGBT National Youth Talkline: Call 800-246-7743
• LGBT National Senior Hotline: Call 888-234-7243
• The Trevor Project: Chat online at thetrevorproject.org/get-help/, call 1-866-488-7386 or text "START" to 678-678.
• SAGE (Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders) Hear Me: Visit sageusa.org/hearme/ to create a free account
• Trans Lifeline: Call 877-565-8860

If you or someone you know is considering harming themselves, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

This story has been updated to clarify attribution from Crisis Text Line.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].