U.S. Bishops Try to Block Federal LGBTQ Suicide Hotline
Catholic journalists break appalling story
The story I have to write today is so appalling, it’s hard to accept as true. When I learned that a group of powerful religious men maneuvered behind the scenes during the Trump Administration to block funding for a suicide hotline for LGBTQ people, I sucked my breath in against anguish.
For background, when I was a teenager and young adult struggling to reconcile my Catholic/Evangelical upbringing with the fact that I’m gay, I came close to killing myself. Twice. That’s one reason I became an LGBTQ activist. Queer youth are over five times more likely than their cis/straight peers to attempt suicide.
They’re at far higher risk of dying, because suicide attempts by queer youth are more likely to be fatal. Transgender teens suffer the most disproportionate risk, while gay boys attempt suicide in the highest total numbers. LGBTQ youth suicide in the United States is a genuine underreported crisis.
