Leading Maine lawmakers — including US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, US Congressman Jared Golden and US Senators Angus King and Susan Collins — have teamed up in a Trevor Project video to support LGBTQ youth. The video’s release is timed to air at the end of Mental Health Awareness Month and the start of Pride Month. It will be distributed, along with videos featuring other leaders around the country, over The Trevor Project’s social media channels.
Reports WCSH TV-6 News Center Maine:
In the video, lawmakers say that suicide is the leading cause of death for young people in Maine, and young members of the LGBTQ community are even more likely to consider suicide.
“But there is help and there is hope,” Golden says. “This isn’t a political issue, it’s a public health crisis.”
“No one should feel that suicide is their only option, but the sad truth is that far too many teenagers who identify as LGBTQ are struggling and do not feel safe or welcome,” the Maine Delegation said in a joint statement.
“We want these young people to know that they are never alone and that there is always hope and help. As National Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close and Pride Month kicks off, this is a perfect time to help share the resources that are available and to send a message that you are never alone.”
For more on The Trevor Project, the nation’s leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ and questioning young people under 25, go to thetrevorproject.org.
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