“The Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons recently appeared on MSNBC’s “The Weekend” (via The Daily Beast) and spoke out against Donald Trump‘s administration for shutting down one of the nation’s LGBTQ+ crisis hotlines. As of July 18, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline no longer has a specialized LGBTQ+ operation, meaning callers do not have the option anymore to “press 3” and reach counselors trained to respond to LGBTQ+ crisis issues.
“I think it’s quite literally criminal,” said Parsons, who is openly gay and married his husband, Todd Spiewak, in 2017. “It’s one of the kinds of decisions that you’re like, there’s no good reason for it. It doesn’t matter what reason you ever put towards it or say it’s the reason it’s happening, it’s never going to be justified.”
“It is only hurtful and it feels like it’s only being done in order to make a point, we’re getting rid of this because we want to make sure certain people understand they’re not welcome here,” Parsons added.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) previously reported that 16.5 million people called, texted or sent chats to the 988 Lifeline over the last three years. The hotline was set up in July 2022. Of that total number, 1.5 million were rerouted to counselors specializing in LGBTQ+ issues. The Trump administration announced in June it would be shutting the latter service down this month. The decision was widely criticized by members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“This administration has made a dangerous decision to play politics with real young people’s lives,” The Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement at the time.
SAMHSA added its own statement: “Everyone who contacts the 988 Lifeline will continue to receive access to skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress.”
Senator Tammy Baldwin, who played a role in writing the legislation that created the 988 hotline, told NPR that the Trump administration’s decision to end the additional LGBTQ+ hotline services is a political move.
“They have had relentless attacks on members of the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender individuals, transgender youth,” Baldwin said. “In the face of those relentless political attacks on this very vulnerable community, to then cut off a lifeline is absolutely cruel.”
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