Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa, Ethel Cain and Ariana Grande are among 100 celebrities who have signed an open letter published by the Trevor Project, calling for the protection of $50 million in federal funds for LGBTQ youth suicide prevention programs. 

The letter was prompted by the news that the US Department of Health and Human Services will potentially eliminate federal funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth. This news was discovered in April after the proposal was leaked. 

The Trevor Project, which is a non-profit organisation that focuses on suicide prevention for the LGBTQ+ community, wrote in the letter that if this proposal comes to fruition, it will “have devastating, life-threatening consequences for young people across the country”. They continue: “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. We will not stay silent.” 

In the US, according to the Trevor Project, LGBTQ+ young people are four times as likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth. “This is about people, not politics,” the Trevor Project asserts. “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 was also signed by Pedro Pascal, Daniel Radcliffe, Benito Skinner, Dylan Mulvaney, Estelle, Gabrielle Union-Wade, King Princess, Sarah Paulson, Troye Sivan and more.

You can read the full letter here.