Safety comes from housing, healthcare, education, communityWashington BladeAugust 26, 2025By Erin WhelanAs D.C.’s LGBTQ+ youth center, SMYAL has witnessed firsthand the resilience, brilliance, and struggles of Washington, D.C.’s young people. At SMYAL, we believe in the power of young people and actively work to build a world— and a city— where they thrive.Yet, the Trump administration’s alarming authoritarian takeover of Washington, D.C., frames young people as criminals rather than as community members deserving of resources and opportunity.The real emergency facing D.C. isn’t what headlines suggest; the real crisis is the lack of investment in resources that support and uplift the people who live here. One in five D.C. youth face housing insecurity, and more than 21,000 children live below the poverty line, as funding for critical supports, like housing and healthcare, is threatened at a local and national level.[...]Imagine a D.C. where every young person is celebrated, resourced, and seen—where investments flow into the community rather than jails and police budgets. SMYAL has long stood with D.C.’s youth, and today, in the face of federal overreach and authoritarian threats, we renew that commitment. We will not be silent while our young people are scapegoated, punished for surviving, or denied their humanity. D.C.’s young people deserve more than survival—they deserve to thrive.We must choose compassion over criminalization, investment over punishment, and community over fear. This is our home. Our youth are joyful, our voices are powerful, and together we can build the D.C. they deserve.
The Trump administration cur funding to Pride Center, suicide hotlines, and Free Clinics, but a judge ordered the funding reinstates but in the 2026 Trump slashed funding for HIV/AIDS programs including for PrEP. Viruses are non-political, they're an equal opportunity infector.
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