On MSNBC’s The Weekend: Primetime, co-hosts Antonia Hylton and Ayman Mohyeldin highlighted the Trump administration’s decision to abandon funding the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ-specific care, a move being called a “dangerous decision to play politics with real young people's lives” by... those contracted to carry out the service. 

Of course, the two hosts – with help from their guest, Bob the Drag Queen – lamented that help would not be given to those struggling with suicidal thoughts, while ignoring the fact that this care would still be provided just as it was before. Hylton opened by focusing on the criticisms of the decision without ever actually explaining what the decision was:

For nearly three years, young LGBTQ+ people who called 988, the country's Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, had the option to press three to receive specialized services from LGBTQ-trained counselors. That is now a thing of the past. The Trump administration officially shut down the program on Thursday, a move advocates say will be devastating for queer children and young adults, who are more likely – more than four times more likely than their peers to contemplate suicide.

President Trump’s decision was purely a reallocation of funds. The 988 hotline would still be receiving the exact same amount of money, rather that funding would just be going to general services instead of contracting organizations to handle these calls. These organizations would still exist and would continue to provide these services, just not under the 988 number.

Still, Hylton and Mohyeldin continued to fearmonger, making this seem like a deadly decision, giving their drag queen guest a floor to attack Trump and criticize the change.

Hylton asked "Bob" about “how important 988 and these hotline services have been for LGBTQ youth and how you're processing this moment we're all living through,” to which he responded:

A lot of people are feeling targeted now, way more so than in the past, and a lot of people are feeling the brunt of what it feels like to be – to feel maligned when maybe they didn't even feel maligned before. And I'm really afraid of what the outcome will be. 

I mean, obviously mental health is really important, especially when it comes to mental health surrounding suicidal ideology and how hard it can be to get through something like that. Obviously, when you're in that state of mind, you're going to end up needing some help, and it feels really upsetting that that will not be provided to people who need it now.

Again, no attention was given to the fact that both 988 services and dedicated LGBTQ hotlines would both still exist, just not under the same umbrella. Ironically, as they complained about Trump politicizing the suicide hotline, they brought their own politics into the issue.

On a subject as difficult and important as suicide, the point should not be to reaffirm gender ideology. The service 988 hotline provides, regardless of the extension, should be about helping those in crisis. That does not mean validating someone's mental health issues. but acknowledging their problems as such while guiding them away from ending their life. 

It should make no difference whether or not the trained professional helping you shared in your ideology, and no matter how MSNBC tried to spread fear over and politicize the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, all people would still have access to the life-saving services they needed.

The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read.

MSNBC’s The Weekend: Primetime
July 20, 2025
8:40 p.m. EST

ANTONIA HYLTON: For nearly three years, young LGBTQ+ people who called 988, the country's Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, had the option to press three to receive specialized services from LGBTQ-trained counselors. That is now a thing of the past. The Trump administration officially shut down the program on Thursday, a move advocates say will be devastating for queer children and young adults, who are more likely – more than four times more likely than their peers to contemplate suicide. 

The CEO of the Trevor Project said the Trump administration has, quote, “made the dangerous decision to play politics with real young people's lives.” Joining us to discuss this moment is Bob the Drag Queen, comedian and drag superstar. He is the –

AYMAN MOHYELDIN: Global. Global.

HYLTON: Global drag superstar. He is the New York Times best-selling author of Harriet Tubman: Live In Concert. Uh, huge fan of yours, so excited to have you on the show. Bob. Thank you for being here.

I guess we'll begin with the – your reaction to what this administration has done this week, how important 988 and these hotline services have been for LGBTQ youth, and I guess how you're processing this moment we're all living through.

BOB THE DRAG QUEEN: Well, I mean, this week, what this administration, I mean this week, I mean, that is a – what this – what's been going on for the past ten years now, you know, I feel like a lot of our lives have changed since, since Donald Trump came down that escalator over at Trump Tower, over on, I want to say Sixth Avenue, Avenue of Americas, and how we've all been processing.

I feel like it's interesting how normally, you know, they show a picture of the president as they age through their process and how they look older. But I feel like we look older, like somehow we all look older and more haggard because of it –

MOHYELDIN: We certainly feel older 

BOB: – And [laughs] right? And obviously, you know, a lot of people are feeling targeted now, way more so than in the past, and a lot of people are feeling the brunt of what it feels like to be – to feel maligned when maybe they didn't even feel maligned before. And I'm really afraid of what the outcome will be. 

I mean, obviously mental health is really important, especially when it comes to mental health surrounding suicidal ideology and how hard it can be to get through something like that. Obviously, when you're in that state of mind, you're going to end up needing some help, and it feels really upsetting that that will not be provided to people who need it now.

MOHYELDIN: Bob, I wanted to ask you, if I can, about the media coverage here and the role in trying to counter the trans hate that exists in this country, and where you see the shortfalls and the way the national discourse, certainly from the media, is around the trans community, but also where sometimes you get high profile democratic politicians like Gavin Newsom, who seem to have pivoted a little bit on their views when it comes to the rights of trans people. He's been going on right wing media, speaking to Charlie Kirk and others and basically calling out the Democrats and his party for taking a position of being pro-trans.

BOB: Can I just say, speaking to Charlie Kirk is never a good idea. No one should be speaking to Charlie Kirk. I don't know if we still do that kind of social isolation, we've all just agreed that this is one person we will not be speaking to, but I do believe Charlie Kirk is that person. You know, I will say this: no one who actually knows a trans person would ever go around saying and doing these things, and I mean, actually knows.

I don't mean like the trans lady who works at the gas station or I – the one who walks down the street; like your partner, your children, your parents, your cousin, your best friend, like people that you see on a daily basis. And when you realize that everyone's just trying to live their life, like literally just trying to live your life, trying to go to the bathroom, trying to have jobs, take care of their families.

You know, I used to do this activism back on the street, back in the day when I first moved to New York City, where I used to say, you know, homosexual is not a dirty word. And now I think people need to be reminded that transgender is not a dirty word. 

You know what I mean? It is. It is a word used to describe it is an adjective used to describe people who are everyday parts of every life, like every, queer people are literally parts of every single day. Everyone knows a queer person. And I was talking to someone online the other day who was like, why – they were talking about the new show Four Seasons with Tina Fey and Colman Domingo – like, why has it got to be a gay couple in there? And I was like, gay people are in stories because they're in everyone's lives. Everyone knows a queer person, so why would we not be in every story? You know?

(...)