The Mighty Logo

Trans Lifeline Launches New Service for Spanish-Only Speakers

The most helpful emails in health
Browse our free newsletters

The Story: Suicide prevention hotline Trans Lifeline is expanding its services to monolingual Spanish speakers as it launches a new extension on July 1. The organization offers emotional and financial support to the trans community and, according to Medium, has seen an increase of callers who speak Spanish in the last two years.

This increase included a 146% uptick in calls from immigrants, including those in detention centers. Volunteer Eliot Olson wrote that the current political climate has increased the need for help in the Latinx trans community.

As anti-immigrant and anti-trans sentiment becomes increasingly codified in US state and Federal law, the only national hotline operated entirely by trans people is stepping up to respond. — Eliot Olson, Trans Lifeline volunteer

The Frontlines: Trans people statistically face a higher incidence of income inequality and a much higher risk of becoming victims of violence. This makes having access to adequate support all the more critical for trans people of all backgrounds.

  • According to one survey, 14% of trans Latinx respondents had experienced homelessness in the past year due to being transgender.
  • The same survey reported that 48% of respondents reported being denied equal treatment, verbally harassed and/or physically attacked in the past year because of being transgender.
  • A 2013 report by the Government Accountability Office showed “one in five substantiated sexual abuse and assault cases in ICE facilities involved transgender detainees, who only make up one in 500 ICE detainees.”

Get more on mental health: Sign up for our weekly mental health newsletter.

A Mighty Voice: Our contributor, Meesh Montgomery, shared why it’s important to support mental health resources geared specifically to the trans community. “Everyone’s mental health matters, there’s no doubt about it. However, the particular issues LGBTQIA+ people face, especially those with intersecting identities, are unique.” You can submit your first person story, too.

From Our Community:

You are Not Alone

Add your voice:

A banner promoting The Mighty's new Chat Space group on The Mighty mobile app. The banner reads, Want to talk and connect with others? Join Chat Space to check in with others or have a conversation that's not related to health (because we all need a break sometimes). Click to join.

Other things to know: You can learn more about the unique challenges faced by the trans community and those who are Latinx by checking out the following information:

How to take action: Starting July 1, people who call the line (877–565–8860 and Canada: 877–330–6366) will now have the option to press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish.

  • You can follow this link to learn more about how to get involved with Trans Lifeline
  • To learn more about the Spanish extension, you can email spanishhotline@translifeline.org

Header image courtesy of Trans Lifeline

Originally published: June 30, 2020
Want more of The Mighty?
You can find even more stories on our Home page. There, you’ll also find thoughts and questions by our community.
Take Me Home