BOSTON — The results of the 2024 presidential election are bringing a wave of anxiety to the LGBTQ community in Massachusetts and nationwide.
The Bay State is known for having strong, robust legal protections for the LGBTQ community.
Local advocacy groups told Boston 25 News that isn’t calming many people’s nerves about the future with Donald Trump moving back into the Oval Office.
The Boston Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, also known as BAGLY, has been all hands on deck for community members in need across the state through the LGBTQ Youth Network of Massachusetts.
“They’re scared. They’re frightened. They’re hearing the rhetoric. They’re hearing the worst-case scenarios,” said Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director at BAGLY. “We are doing our best to offer support resources, either what they need immediately or to prepare for a longer-term reality.”
The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization, said it saw an overall crisis outreach volume increase of nearly 700% on November 6th compared to the weeks prior.
“November 6th marks the largest surge in daily contact volume since our services went 24/7 in 2019,” said Jackson Budinger with The Trevor Project. “It’s a very clear indication of what LGBTQ young people are feeling.”
Budinger said the call volume has remained high since then from people across the country who are looking for reassurance and guidance about the future of LGBTQ rights in America.
Other LGBTQ organizations said they were prepared for a spike in calls, but nothing like what they’ve been seeing.
The Rainbow Youth Project, a national LGBTQ advocacy group, said about 19% of its callers are typically screened positive for suicidal ideation.
That’s up to 31.6% of callers screening for acute mental health crisis with specific notation of suicidal ideation.
The LGBT National Hotline, another crisis outreach center, told Boston 25 News it’s received five times the typical call volume and is expecting calls to skyrocket on Inauguration Day.
Organizations across the country and Massachusetts are emphasizing to people that they have a support system they can count on.
“You’re not alone so please reach out,” added Sterling Stowell. “Here in Massachusetts, we are very fortunate through advocacy efforts of so many over decades.”
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