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LGBTQ youth participate in the SMYAL program, which just lost $200,000 in funding from the Homeland Security Department.
That includes funding for a global anti-hate summit and programs providing affirming therapy for queer youth.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has just canceled $18.5 million in grants to LGBTQ+ programs and those promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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A Homeland Security official told Fox News Thursday the department would nix funding for the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships because the spending went to “ideologically driven programs.”
Killed funding includes $851,836 for the Eradicate Hate Global Summit and $209,407 to the Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders (SMYAL), organizations described by Fox News as “controversial.”
"These cancellations reflect DHS’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and national security," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the conservative news outlet. "By eliminating wasteful and ideologically driven programs, we are redirecting resources to initiatives that uphold American values, respect the rule of law and effectively combat terrorism and violence."
The Eradicate Hate Global Summit launched in 2018 after the anti-Semitic mass shooting of congregation members at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, during President Donald Trump’s first term. That shooting took place during a bris for the twin children of a gay couple. The shooting left 11 dead and seven others injured.
The summit is committed to stopping hate-based attacks around the world and bills itself as a nonpartisan organization.
SMYAL is focused on empowering LGBTQ+ youth and working “to create a world where queer and trans youth thrive,” as its website says. Its work includes scholarship programs, affirming therapy, and housing support.
But Homeland Security officials told Fox News the organization promotes “radical gender ideology” to grade school students and targets children as young as kindergarteners. That seems to be a reference to a “Little SMYALs” program providing “a welcoming and affirming social group for LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 6-13.”
The cancellation of the grants was announced the same day the Trump administration ended an LGBTQ+ subline for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which has fielded more than 1 million calls, texts and chats since its 2022 launch.
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