WASHINGTON — Dozens of figures in the entertainment industry, including a handful of major celebrities, warned President Donald Trump’s administration against cutting federal funding for services designed for LGBTQ+ youth on the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
In an open letter this week spearheaded by The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on supporting LGBTQ+ youth, the organization and more than 100 people in the entertainment world said they were “heartbroken” by a reported proposal from the administration to eliminate funding allocated to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services in its fiscal year 2026 budget.
Those who signed on include pop stars Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande, actors Pedro Pascal and Daniel Radcliffe and basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade.
“As artists, creators, and public figures, our platforms come with responsibility,” the group 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.”
The letter goes on to urge the Trump administration and Congress to “restore and protect” funding for the program, arguing the issue 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,” the letter reads. “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 encourages individuals to sign a petition addressed to Trump and lawmakers in Congress calling for the funding to be shielded. The website says 8,790 people have signed the petition thus far.
The federally mandated 988 lifeline launched the initial program to provide services specialized to LGBTQ+ youth in 2022 and later expanded it. In April, multiple media outlets, including NPR and Axios, reported on a leaked draft budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year from the Trump administration that would cut funding for the program.
The administration released what it called a “skinny” budget request for the next fiscal year last month, which is still being filled out. Congress ultimately sets the budget for the government.
The letter comes as Trump has sought to scale back government spending and leaned into addressing culture war issues, such as cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and signing an order establishing that the U.S. government only recognizes two genders of male and female.
In the letter, The Trevor Project points out that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services has had more than 1.2 million crisis contacts since its launch. It also notes that youth who identify as LGBTQ+ are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide.
Last month, a group of Democratic senators wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. similarly warning the administration against cutting funding for the service.
