Jim Parsons is blasting President Donald Trump‘s administration for shutting down one of the nation’s crisis hotlines, which offered tailored support for LGBTQ youth and young adults.
The Big Bang Theory star made a recent appearance on MSNBC’s The Weekend, where he criticized the decision to end the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ service on July 17.
“I think it’s quite literally criminal,” Parsons said. “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.”
The openly gay actor, who is married to Todd Spiewak, continued, “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.”
According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the LGBTQ youth program served more than 1.4 million callers since it launched in September 2022. Callers now don’t have the option to “Press 3” for specialized LGBTQ support.
SAMHSA wrote in a statement after it was announced that the Trump administration would be shutting down the specialized service, “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. Anyone who calls the Lifeline will continue to receive compassion and help.”
Leave a Reply