Transgender youth in the United States have been flocking to crisis hotlines since the crisis. vote made by Donald Trump anti-transgender themes is at the center of the campaign. Many young people worry about how their lives might change when they take office.

During his presidential bid, Trump promised to impose sweeping restrictions and roll back civil rights protections for transgender students. And his administration could quickly start working on a big change: It could exclude transgender students from education. Title IX protectionsInfluencing school policies regarding student pronouns, bathrooms and locker rooms.

One ad, aired more than 15,000 times, clarified Trump’s stance on the rights of transgender and non-binary Americans: “Kamala is for them. President Trump is for you.”

For one Alabama teenager, the ad appeared to portray transgender and non-binary people as a threat to society. The weekend before Election Day, the 16-year-old, who identifies as nonbinary and uses the pronouns “he” and “they,” called a crisis hotline at the Rainbow Youth Project. The group, which serves LGBTQ+ youth, has received more than 5,500 calls to its crisis hotline in the past 10 days; That’s up from the 3,700 calls he normally receives each month.

The teen was in despair and was struggling with suicidal thoughts, according to his mother, Carolyn Fisher. She said she didn’t realize the depth of her child’s depression and how painful it was for him to see political ads that felt like a personal attack.

With the help of crisis counselors, the teen began to feel better, Fisher said. But bullying at school has gotten worse, Fisher said, and some students told their children that Trump would “put him back in the closet.”

“The kids who were making fun of him are now proud of themselves and they’re throwing it in his face,” he said.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach the U.S. national suicide and crisis lifeline by calling or texting 988. An online chat is also available at: 988lifeline.org.

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Opposition to transgender rights was a focus of Trump’s campaign: Republican ads attacking political opponents for transgender or LGBTQ+ issues have aired more than 290,000 times on TV since March 2023, according to data from media tracking firm AdImpact.

The message may have struck a chord with many Americans. More than half of voters and a majority of Trump supporters said support for transgender rights in government and society has gone too far, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters.

President Joe Biden’s administration expanded recognition of transgender rights just this year. Interpretation Title IXThe law, a landmark sex discrimination law, falls largely within the purview of the executive branch, although court decisions can influence implementation.

Title IX, first passed in 1972, was used as a women’s rights law for the first time. This year, the Biden administration said the law bans discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, but Trump could reverse that. The application of Biden’s new guidance was limited in any case: lots of lawsuitsCourts in 26 states have issued injunctions halting the rule.

“Title IX will be the top priority. This is emblematic of all the culture war issues that have been created between gender identity and gender over the last few years,” said attorney Candice Jackson, who led the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in the first Trump administration.

Trump also said he would ask Congress to pass a bill stating that there are “only two genders” and to ban hormonal or surgical interventions on transgender youth in all 50 states. Most Republican-controlled states has already banned gender-affirming health care for transgender youth under 18 or 19, and many have adopted policies limiting which school restrooms transgender people can use.

Biden’s election year guidance transgender students in sportsTrump promised to put an end to “boys’ sports for girls.” Bob Eitel, who served as a senior adviser to the education secretary during the first Trump administration, said the administration will likely approach these issues with a “traditional understanding” of what Title IX means, a “biological, binary understanding of gender.” .

3.3% of high school students in the USA identifying as transgender Another 2.2% question their gender, according to a survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published last month.

The survey found that 72% of transgender and gender-questioning youth experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness in the past year. These youth also reported higher rates of bullying at school compared to their peers. The CDC says nearly 1 in 4 transgender students say they attempted suicide in the past year.

LGBTQ+ advocates are taking action to address the despair they see growing among transgender and nonbinary youth. The Rainbow Youth Project has increased virtual peer groups and town halls for LGBTQ+ youth to connect. Another organization, It Gets Better, is focused on reaching teens online through social media platforms like Twitch and YouTube to create supportive environments even as legal protections are rolled back, said Brian Wenke, the group’s executive director.

Across the country, especially in conservative areas, LGBTQ+ youth are debating whether it would be safer to live elsewhere.

Jude Armstrong, a transgender high school senior in New Orleans led protests Against Louisiana laws regulating pronoun use and discussions of gender and sexuality in the classroom. With the potential for federal change on the horizon, Armstrong, 17, said he was considering going to school in England but was worried about leaving behind the gay culture and history he loved at home.

“When you leave your community and go to another country, how do you feel like you’re protecting your community?” he asked.

Alejandro Jimenez, a sophomore at Texas State University, dreams of becoming a theater teacher in Texas. She knows how important it is for trans kids to see someone like them in the classroom. He’s not sure if he’ll stay in his home state anymore.

Tension has already increased on his campus to the point where he feels unsafe. The day after the election, two protesters held signs saying “Homo sex is a sin” and “Women are property.”

“I feel like it’s my duty to stay here, but I’m afraid of being kicked out,” said Jimenez, who is transgender.

Under the new Trump administration, advocates worry that efforts to house transgender and gender non-binary students anywhere could face scrutiny. Trump’s platform called withdrawal of federal funding for any school that imposes “gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content” on our children.

“It sounds really dystopian to say that trying to be more inclusive could actually result in punishment from the federal government. But it is a risk,” said Elana Redfield, director of federal policy at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.

Amidst so much uncertainty, Eli, an 18-year-old transgender college student living in New York City, emphasized the importance of community and online presence, especially for young people who are feeling anxious right now.

“You are not alone,” said It Gets Better ambassador Eli, who asked to be identified only by his first name for safety reasons. “We will come out the other side. There are gay adults who have lived long and happy lives, and you will get there too.”

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Linley Sanders contributed reporting from Washington.

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