which all operators are transgender. Because of the particularly vulnerable relationship transgender people have with police, it is also the only service in the country with a policy against non-consensual active rescue.

Since Their founding, Trans Lifeline’s services have grown to match growing need from their community. Their Hotline has evolved from an entirely volunteer-run operation into a comprehensive resource that employs trans people working as paid operators and team leads. Their operators have logged thousands of hours of talk time with trans people in their community, and, with new volunteers signing up all the time, their capacity is only growing.

In time, They came to recognize that the epidemic of suicide in the trans community is inextricably tied to the economic justice issues trans people face at alarming rates, and that meaningful emotional support often requires financial support as well. In 2017, Trans Lifeline merged with the Trans Assistance Project, which became their Microgrants program. Microgrants offers low-barrier grants to trans people for legal name changes and updated government identification documents, as well as specialized support for incarcerated and undocumented trans people. While this is a relatively new program, they recently celebrated the disbursal of $100,000 in small grants to trans people - all with a commitment to resist gatekeeping and respectability politics.