A mysterious acronym that could affect your health

It’s a strange dichotomy. President Trump appoints the most openly gay government official in Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent’s history, but he launches a cruel attack on transgender Americans.

Don’t make mistakes: these attacks claim life. Trans people are committing suicide. I know one trans person who died of suicide on election night and was overwhelmed by the fear of a new regime. Trump’s attack, as reported by Blade, led to the trans-Americans and their families fleeing the country and moving to Canada.

This is not virtual or melodramatic. It’s real life and it happens everywhere.

And when Bescent was confirmed as Treasury Secretary, I wrote an operation that urged him to educate Trump about the light-making of trans-Americans and the destructive nature of attacks on the community. I have been waiting for 90 days for signs that Bescent has a heart or at least has sufficient decency, but sadly I have to report that he is not.

Attacks on the LGBTQ community under Trump continue to come. The news last week that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is planning to retire from the National 988 Crisis Lifeline for LGBTQ Youth on October 1 is just the latest evidence that the administration not only dislikes us, but wants to die.

“Ending the LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline will not only remove access from millions of LGBTQ+ children and teens.

The LGBTQ youth service has received 1.3 million calls, texts or chats since its debut, with an average of 2,100 contacts per day in February.

Don’t make a mistake: Cutting this service will kill young LGBTQ people.

Just a few weeks ago, the Trump administration announced that the Infectious Diseases Bureau and HIV/AIDS policies would do their best.

“In just a few days, we are losing our country’s capacity to prevent HIV,” said Karl Schmidt, executive director of the Institute for HIV+ Hepatitis Policy.

Prior to that, Trump issued a series of executive orders aimed at the trans community. It restricts access to affirm healthcare, bans trans service members from the military, bans trans women and girls from playing sports, eliminates the use of women’s toilets, except for the birth of students.

Let’s be very clear: when you deny the ability to use the toilet on someone, you deny their humanity.

So we’re back to Scott Bescent, a billionaire hedge fund manager, and now we’re bringing our economy to the ground. As many Trump protesters have pointed out, silence is an accomplice. And Bescent has been silent about all these horrifying assaults on trans-Americans and their fundamental humanity. He is spinless and a traitor of the LGBTQ community.

Bessent runs the US Treasury Department and is reportedly having Trump’s ears on all issues related to the economy. He could easily push Trump in a better, more compassionate direction, but there is no evidence that he did that.

“The LGBTQ+ community is stepping up into the community by relying on openly LGBTQ+ candidates like Scott Bessent,” said Kelly Robinson, chairman of the post-inauguration Human Rights Campaign. Sadly, it became clear that we cannot rely on Bescent. As I wrote in January, Trump likes his strange people gay, white, cis, rich and obedient.

Bessent ignores Blade’s interview requests. (And after this was released, I have no illusions where he changes his mind.) The mainstream media where Trump is increasingly involved has failed to ask Bescent even the most basic questions about his views on trance equality and Trump’s attacks.

As a member of the LGBTQ community, Bessent is at least responsible for speaking for the trans people who are suffering. But Republicans today have lost their spines. They are honest in front of our dear leader, lined up in their pockets, leaving us the rest of us to deal with the outcome.

Crisis is real. People are almost dying. Trans people are particularly suffering. The rest of us must do what we can to alleviate that suffering and to protect our trans friends.

Kevin Naff He is the editor of Washington Blade. I’ll reach him with [email protected].