California student IDs to list LGBT anti-suicide hotline

The California Family Council expressed concern about a recently enacted state law listing a pro-LGBTQ suicide prevention hotline in addition to a standard hotline for depressed people. California public school student ID cards will now include contact information for an LGBTQ-specific suicide prevention organization called the Trevor Project. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the statute into law earlier this month after the Trump administration removed funding for LGBTQ suicide prevention programs. The law will build on California’s previously enacted 2018 suicide prevention ID card by ensuring LGBTQ students have support in hand every day, Newsom’s office said. The Trevor Project reported that over a third of LGBTQ youth in the state seriously considered suicide in the past year, his office added.

What’s the concern? The California Family Council took issue with the Trevor Project’s online platform TrevorSpace, which is meant for LGBTQ people aged 13-24 to find support from peers. The group cited law enforcement officers and education leaders who described TrevorSpace as a digital doorway for predators because, the professionals said, there’s no reliable age verification in place and anyone can make an account.

This law would endanger vulnerable children already struggling with identity and isolation into a network rife with predators and anti-Biblical messaging, according to the California Family Council’s Thursday statement. While TrevorSpace is not included in the law or referenced on the ID cards, contacting the Trevor Project hotline on the cards would likely lead students to the web platform, according to the California Family Council.

Are these real threats or just hypothetical? A trustee for the Santa Ana Unified School District, Brenda Lebsack, testified against the now-ratified bill after opening a TrevorSpace account while pretending to be a 13-year-old child. She described gaining immediate access to the platform without age verification and being able to chat with random adults. Groups like “the Gay Men’s Club – Let’s Talk about Boys,” “Guilt and Secrets Club,” “The Witchcraft Club,” and “Furries Club” were accessible to the account Lebsack created while posing as a minor using a school Chromebook.

California Family Council petitioned for parents and school teachers to educate others about the possible harms from TrevorSpace, and pray for Christ-centered ministries to speak life to youths in crisis. 

Dig deeper: Read my report on Newsom recently enacting another law aimed at protecting children from artificial intelligence online.