Advocating for a novel mental health resource for youth within the LGBTQ+ community, a Los Angeles mother mourns the loss of her son, who sadly took his own life.
In the wake of federal funding cuts for LGBTQ+ crisis services, California is taking a stand to ensure the well-being of its youth. The California Assembly Bill 727 (AB 727), currently advancing through the legislative process, seeks to require public school student ID cards to include information for a suicide prevention hotline specifically for LGBTQ+ youth.
Sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Mark González and other lawmakers, AB 727 aims to address the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ students by listing The Trevor Project's suicide prevention lifeline on the back of student IDs for grades 7 through college. If passed, the bill would require the inclusion of The Trevor Project's hotline on student IDs beginning in July 2026.
The bill has seen significant support from California's political leadership, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, in response to the federal cuts to LGBTQ+ services. The Trevor Project, a West Hollywood-based nonprofit, operates the LGBTQ+ crisis line, but federal funding for it is expected to stop routing crisis calls on Thursday.
The legislative push comes in response to a teen mental health survey published last fall by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which revealed that about 40% of young queer people in the U.S. have seriously contemplated suicide compared to 13% of their peers. Trans Americans have been particularly shaken by the backlash against LGBTQ+ people and the prospect of new restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare.
The tragic story of Riley Chart, a trans teen who took his own life in September 2020, highlights the urgency of this bill. Riley, the son of Bridget McCarthy, attended high schools in Santa Monica and Culver City and joined LGBTQ+ groups. During the pandemic, Riley found it hard to cope with not being able to spend time in person with his friends, becoming increasingly irritable, staying up late, and spending excessive time on his phone.
McCarthy remembers Riley as an artistic and warmhearted son who loved climbing trees, swimming, and herding cows on Lummi Island, where the family often visited. After Riley's death, it was discovered that he had texted a gay friend for help, but the only other number in his phone was a veterans hotline number that he did not call. McCarthy believes that if Chart had access to an LGBTQ-specific suicide prevention hotline, he might be alive today.
In a bid to honour Riley's memory, McCarthy started a memorial fund with The Trevor Project. She visits Riley's grave site on Lummi Island four times a year to care for the maple tree planted in his memory, admire the painted stones his friends placed around it, and talk to her son. McCarthy also organised suicide prevention walks in West L.A. and attended Pride festivals to hand out crisis line information.
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, the L.A. LGBT Center, and the Sacramento LGBT Center have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill. If passed, AB 727 would be a significant step towards ensuring that LGBTQ+ youth in California have access to the resources they need to navigate the challenges they face and seek help when they need it most.
References: [1] California Assembly Bill 727 (AB 727) text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB727 [2] California Assembly Bill 727 would require schools to list LGBTQ+ suicide hotline on student IDs: https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/california-assembly-bill-727-suicide-prevention-hotline-id-cards/3225797/ [3] California bill to require student IDs to list suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth advances: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-09/california-bill-to-require-student-ids-to-list-suicide-hotline-for-lgbtq-youth-advances [4] California bill aims to help LGBTQ+ students with suicide prevention hotline on ID cards: https://www.kqed.org/news/11738355/california-bill-aims-to-help-lgbtq-students-with-suicide-prevention-hotline-on-id-cards
- The California government, in response to federal funding cuts for LGBTQ+ crisis services and the sobering statistics revealed in a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey, is supporting Assembly Bill 727 (AB 727), which aims to address the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ students by listing The Trevor Project's suicide prevention lifeline on their ID cards.
- If passed, this bill, currently advancing through the legislative process, would require public schools in California to include The Trevor Project's hotline on student IDs beginning in July 2026, for students from grade 7 through college.
- Notably, the bill has seen significant support from California's political leadership, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who recognize the urgency of addressing the mental health struggles faced by LGBTQ+ youth.
- The support for AB 727 is a response to the federal cuts to LGBTQ+ services and the rising concern about the well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly in light of the backlash against LGBTQ+ people and the prospect of new restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare.
- The bill comes on the heels of the tragic story of Riley Chart, a trans teen who took his own life in September 2020, emphasizing the need for easy access to LGBTQ+-specific suicide prevention resources.
- In memory of Riley, whose parents discovered he had texted a gay friend for help but did not call the veterans hotline number in his phone, Bridget McCarthy started a memorial fund with The Trevor Project and organizes suicide prevention walks and Pride festivals to raise awareness about the availability of these crucial resources.
