Pedro Pascal. Photo: HBO
More than 100 prominent figures, including Pedro Pascal, Orville Peck, and Ariana Grande, have co-signed an open letter to the White House, demanding the protection of federal funding allocated for LGBTQ+ suicide prevention.
The urgent appeal follows an April news report indicating that Donald Trump‘s administration, specifically the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is allegedly planning to cut over $50 million previously designated for crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth.
Released today by the U.S. LGBTQ+ charity The Trevor Project, the letter begins, “As artists, creators, and public figures, our platforms come with responsibility. And today, that responsibility is clear: we must speak out to protect the mental health and lives of LGBTQ+ youth.” It emphatically states, “We will not stay silent.”
The signatories emphasize that the issue transcends politics, asserting, “this is about people, not politics.” The letter highlights the critical impact of prior federal funding, which facilitated “nearly 1.3 million crisis contacts with life-saving, affirming care to LGBTQ+ young people during their most vulnerable moments. Suicide among LGBTQ+ youth is a public health crisis, and it should be treated as such.”
Beyond the aforementioned stars, the extensive list of signatories includes actors such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Paulson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Alan Cumming, alongside musicians Troye Sivan, Dua Lipa, and Sabrina Carpenter.
The stars conclude their powerful appeal to the White House, stating, “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.”
They add, “Stripping away this lifeline leaves LGBTQ+ youth with the message that their lives are not worth saving. We refuse to accept that message.”
