A leaked draft of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services department budget reveals that $50 million might be cut from federal funding for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention programs. More than 100 celebrities — including Pedro Pascal, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Daniel Radcliffe — have signed an open letter pleading with lawmakers to reconsider.
“As artists, creators, and public figures, our platforms come with responsibility,” they wrote. “And today, that responsibility is clear: we must speak out to protect the mental health and lives of LGBTQ+ youth. We will not stay silent … This is about people, not politics. 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.”
The letter highlights that nearly 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people have been helped by the program since it began in 2022. “Suicide among LGBTQ+ youth is a public health crisis, and it should be treated as such,” the letter states. “LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people in the United States seriously consider suicide each year — and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.”
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It concludes by telling members of the LGBTQ+ community that they are not alone. “We see you,” they wrote. “We value you. You have the right to feel safe, supported, and loved exactly as you are. You deserve access to life-saving services that honor your humanity. You may be hurting. You may be scared. You may feel like no one hears you — but we do. We will keep showing up and speaking out. We will not stop fighting for you.”
Alan Cumming, Aly & AJ, Bob the Drag Queen, Cara Delevingne, Christina Aguilera, Conor Oberst, Darren Criss, Dwayne Wayde, Gabrielle Union-Wade, Kelsea Ballerini, Margaret Cho, Paul Feig, and Troye Sivan are among those who have signed the letter. It remains open, and others can sign on in the coming days and weeks. There’s also an Action Network petition that anyone can sign in support.
