OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington’s youth Suicide and Crisis Lifeline turned a year old this July.
The LGBTQI+ Subnetwork is a part of Washington’s larger 988 Lifeline, which provides support to individuals experiencing mental health crises.
Queer youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers nationally according to The Trevor Project. The trend is also reflected in state data. Washington’s 2023 Healthy Youth Survey
Vibrant, a national emotional health provider that operates crisis lines across the US, says that the LGBTQI+ Subnetwork has received over 450,000 messages and calls since launching a year ago.
Connecting to the Lifeline is as simple as dialing 988 and pressing 3, or texting “Pride” to 988.
Washington is in the midst of a thorny policy debate around LGBTQ+ mental health, particularly for transgender young people.
A “Parent’s Bill of Rights” received bipartisan support in the State Legislature and . The law allows parents to access their children’s medical records, including information about their gender identity. It was condemned by the
However, the current status of the law is unclear given that Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal’s office is refusing to implement portions of the law that he argues violates the civil rights of queer students.
Meanwhile, the general climate for the queer people in Washington has shifted, reflecting and an
