> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# LGBTQ+ suicide prevention bill passed in the US
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/lgbtq-suicide-prevention-bill-passed-in-the-us/
- Published: 2020-09-24T07:08:56.000Z
- Updated: 2020-09-23T12:14:23.000Z
- Description: Suicide prevention legalisation which includes LGBTQ+ specific training for helpline workers is the first LGBTQ+ inclusive law to be unanimously approved by US Congress.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: Health, Mental Health, News, Politics, Donald Trump, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Mental Health, LGBTQ youth, Suicide Prevention, The Trevor Project

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/tumblr_o87h80b6xh1tvti0ro1_500-1.jpg)

Suicide prevention legalisation which includes LGBTQ+ specific training for helpline workers is the first LGBTQ+ inclusive law to be unanimously approved by **US** Congress. The [bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2661/text?ref=scenemag.co.uk) allows US citizens to dial 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and operators of the helpline will have completed a course in LGBTQ+ cultural competency. The helpline will also feature an option specifically for LGBTQ+ youth who are considered a high-risk group.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/viewpoints-trevor-project_inline_800x312-1.jpg)

The bill itself states that young LGBTQ+ people are four times more likely ‘to contemplate suicide than their peers’. **Sam Brinton**, vice president of advocacy and government affairs for **The Trevor Project**, [said](https://www.thetrevorproject.org/trvr%5Fpress/u-s-house-approves-988-number-for-suicide-prevention-lifeline/?ref=scenemag.co.uk): *“According to The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 40 per cent of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past twelve months, with more than half of transgender and non-binary youth having seriously considered it”.* They believe the new bill ‘will undoubtedly save countless lives’.

The bill was approved on **Monday 21 September** with no votes against it, and it has now been sent to US president **Donald Trump**.