In a recent post on Scholarly Kitchen, three writers shared personal stories expressing concern over the White House’s decision to eliminate federal funding for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth services, effective on Wednesday. As a nonprofit organization committed to advancing open science and fostering inclusive, equitable access to knowledge, we applaud their efforts to bring attention to this matter.
This specialized service has provided life-saving support to over 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people since its inception in 2022. Its closure comes at a time when LGBTQ+ youth face disproportionately high rates of suicidal ideation and mental health challenges, often exacerbated by discrimination, stigma, and lack of culturally competent care.
We stand firmly behind the principles of openness, inclusion, and equity—values that are foundational to our mission. We believe that science and public health must serve all communities, especially those most vulnerable. The decision to defund LGBTQ+-specific crisis services undermines evidence-based public health policy and disregards the urgent needs of a population at elevated risk.
We are committed to publishing and promoting research that informs compassionate, inclusive, and scientifically sound health interventions. Below is a list of studies from PLOS journals, specific to this topic, and a list of resources that LGBTQ+ people can access if they need help (these resources were mentioned in the Scholarly Kitchen post).
Resources:
Studies:
PLOS Mental Health
PLOS Medicine
