"The attempted suicide rate for transgender people in the United States is roughly 41%."
For Brut, Dallin Mello met with an operator of the Trans Lifeline, a grassroots hotline that offers support to trans people across the world — for the trans community, by the trans community.
For Brut, Dallin Mello met with an operator of the Trans Lifeline, a grassroots hotline that offers support to trans people across the world — for the trans community, by the trans community.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:0010,027 calls entering today's shift and in fact we've got one.
00:05Good afternoon from all of us at Trans Lifeline. My name is Diana. How are you today?
00:14What type of support are you looking for?
00:19You're not the first person who said that it's time to leave Florida
00:23and we've got some listings that can help you out.
00:26Every place in the country should be safe for everyone. Having dealt with others close to me
00:34who've had to make the same decisions and go through the same things, I'm with you on that
00:38but just know we are here for you. No problem. You have a good rest of your day.
00:56Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline that offers support to communities across the world.
01:00It's a free service for the trans community by the trans community.
01:04For Brut, I spent time with Carly Webb, a Lifeline employee and trans activist.
01:08Webb uses the pseudonym Diane throughout calls to ensure her safety.
01:13Here's Carly Webb. Carly Webb is a 51 going on 15 black woman of trans experience with
01:22enough energy to power a small city. Most people who saw me saw an undersized,
01:30very aggressive little runt that liked to play sports and would compete like hell.
01:36That's what they saw. Be it in football, be it in basketball, be it in track, be it in video games,
01:41be it in whatever. This ultra competitive, undersized, wannabe badass with a chip on
01:48their shoulder. That's what people saw. But underneath all that was a little girl screaming
01:56to get out. Transition can be lonely. We lose people that we've grown to love. We lose family.
02:05We lose friends. And then you find the chosen family. I'm very grateful to each and every person
02:15who's reached out to me. And that's part of the reason why I do the work I do at Trans Lifeline.
02:19That's my way of paying forward. Good afternoon from all of us at Trans Lifeline. My name is
02:25Diana. How are you today? Well, if you need to talk, I'm here to listen.
02:42How may I support you in this moment? How may I best do so?
02:55I can understand that. You know, there's a lot going on. And at one level, and then another level,
03:02there's a lot that needs to be taken care of.
03:14Now, as far, what kind of support do you have around you?
03:18That,
03:36I understand ideation because I've been through a lot.
03:40I understand ideation because I felt it. I understand that feeling that you don't want
03:46to go on because there was a point where I didn't.
03:54Glad I didn't make that choice.
03:59When you get really young people who are dealing with parents who aren't accepting,
04:03you just want to sweep them up in your arms and hold them, let them know it's going to be okay.
04:11It's tough when it's not.
04:15There is a pointed agenda to dehumanize trans people. They're trying to sell you hysteria to
04:23scare you. The attempted suicide rate for trans people, the suicide rate for trans women,
04:29the attempted suicide rate for transgender people in the United States on average is roughly 41%.
04:35I had a caller who called and said,
04:41I called, gave the green light. You're destined to be a part of that 41%.
04:47I wish it was more of you. Click.
04:53Good afternoon from all of us at Trans Lifeline. My name is Diana. How are you?
04:57Good afternoon from all of us at Trans Lifeline. My name is Diana. How are you today?
05:11And you just saw an example of why.
05:13What was that?
05:15That was a prank call.
05:17Hi, I really need to cut my penis off.
05:21Really? That's what we deal with.
05:23I'd love for our society to evolve to a point where we're not needed.
05:29You know what I want to do? I want to write sports.
05:31I want to play sports.
05:33I want to play for my football team.
05:37When I got the opportunity to play this sport, as myself, authentically, I had to take it.
05:43I had to do it.
05:45I never thought that I would find gender euphoria on a football field. I have.
05:49And it's intercepted.
05:51That is Webb, and Webb is going to take that to the house.
05:55Touchdown, Reapers.
05:59That's what Trans Joy is all about.
06:01I mean, Trans Joy, for me, has just been doing the things I've always done, things I've always loved.
06:09And now, being able to enjoy them even more, because now, there's no mask on.
06:17There's no mask on.
06:19There's no shields up.
06:21It's just me.