A Message of Hope for LGBTQ Kids in America
Uncloseted Media asked Americans to leave voicemails for queer youth, nearly 40% of whom seriously considered suicide in the last year.
In 2025, there has been a relentless attack on LGBTQ kids in the U.S.
This year, state legislatures considered a record-setting 616 anti-LGBTQ bills at least. In Oklahoma, trans kids lost access to healthcare.
At the national level, the Trump administration cut the LGBTQ youth suicide hotline just weeks after Pride Month, despite a recent study by The Trevor Project finding that 39% of LGBTQ young people seriously considered suicide in the past year, more than 1 in 10 actually did attempt suicide and 90% of queer youth said political attacks on LGBTQ people directly harmed their overall well-being.
While these numbers reveal an urgent crisis, there are silver linings. Last year, 91% of anti-LGBTQ bills were defeated. Countless kids marched in the No Kings protest. Parents are organizing. And allies are popping up in unexpected places.
Uncloseted Media has reported on dozens of stories that expose hate. But this holiday season, we decided to pause for a brief moment. In September, we launched a national campaign inviting people across the country to leave messages of hope for LGBTQ youth. The campaign culminated at the historic Stonewall Inn, where we installed a rotary phone and invited visitors to leave voicemails of resilience, positivity and joy for queer kids. Here are just a few of the most powerful messages.
In recent years, the language of parental rights has been used to stigmatize LGBTQ people as threats to children, with GLAAD finding that false "grooming narratives remain a central anti-LGBTQ disinformation tactic.
Still, there are an estimated 2.6 million LGBTQ parents nationwide. That includes Mama Fox, who’s fighting back against systems of oppression.
By Adam Athas / Taya Straus
The positive impact of Mama Fox’s love for her kid is reflective of research that shows that supportive parenting is associated with lower suicide risk for queer youth, including when parents use correct names and pronouns and actively defend their child’s identity.
Paul, who has a lesbian daughter, is one of those parents.
Listen to Paul’s message above.
For those who can’t find acceptance within their families, there is still hope. Mark, an actor and singer from New York City, came of age in the 1980s during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Today, Mark is witnessing unprecedented cuts to global HIV/AIDS programs, including attempts to reduce funding for The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which claims to have saved more than 26 million lives worldwide. In this time, Mark leans on art and performance:
By Adam Athas / Taya Straus
According to a national survey of LGBTQ youth, only 4% of rural LGBTQ youth felt their community was “very accepting.”
Even so, as many as 3.8 million LGBTQ people call rural America home. And in every pocket of the country, allies exist:
Listen to Berm’s message above.
Countless LGBTQ kids are being raised in conservative or religious communities without a strong support system.
Sean Robinson, Uncloseted Media’s founder’s boyfriend, who wrote about his experience as part of the one in three U.S. adults who experience religious trauma, wants LGBTQ kids in his position today to never give up.
Listen to Sean’s message above.
A lot of the hate aimed at LGBTQ people still comes from the same demographic that has historically held the most social power: white, cisgender straight men. But what often gets left out of the conversation is that there are many allies who are part of this demographic, including West Wilson, Anthony Siteman and Toronto’s Peter Horton.
Listen to Peter’s message above.
According to a Trevor Project survey, about a fifth of LGBTQ young people have participated in protests, a sign that civic engagement is surging. LGBTQ people continue to be among the most active groups in public resistance. Richard Rockman’s poem reminds us to stay active, engaged and hopeful.
Listen to Richard’s poem above.
And that hope is coming from so many people from all corners of the world.
Listen to Alice’s message above.
Listen to Lara’s message above.
Even as so many LGBTQ youth struggle, change is coming. More people in Gen Z identify as LGBTQ than any other living generation.
Listen to Lloyd’s message above.
Uncloseted Media wishes everyone a joyful holiday season. For people of all ages who are struggling, we want you to know that you are loved. You are not alone. And there is help.
Here are resources and support: https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/lgbtq-mental-health-resources
If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:
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