Under the Biden administration, a little-known federal mental health agency has quietly transformed into a hub for transgender activists, granting researchers and activists millions of dollars for programs supporting youth and adults who identify as LGBTQ. Grants were granted.
Over the past four years, nearly $360 million in grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have been awarded to projects that include the keyword “transgender.” According to Based on government data reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
President Donald Trump’s first day executive order Recognizing that there are only “two genders,” government agencies have been instructed to ensure that grants are not used to promote gender ideology, making SAMHSA a likely target.
Some of these SAMHSA grants are primarily funded through the LGBTQI+ Family Support grant opportunity, which funds “therapy” programs aimed at persuading parents to affirm their child’s gender confusion. I am. Nearly $6.8 million was spent on these programs in 2023-2024. According to Go to the agency’s press release.
“largely [SAMHSA] Dollars will not be used for serious mental illnesses (such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder), but rather for community mental health and prevention efforts (even those aimed at “concerned people” to prevent mental illness and suicide). even if you don’t know how). “It’s important) and other education/awareness campaigns about common issues and common afflictions, or trending issues of the day, such as improving LGBTQIA+ mental health,” said Carolyn D. Gorman. I am. Paulson, policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute, told DCNF.
SAMHSA’s annual budget has doubled over the past decade, up from $3.4 billion the previous year. 2014 to $7.4 billion 2024. Mr. Gorman recently proposed President Donald Trump believes the agency should be abolished and that gender identity is just the latest iteration of a problem that has persisted since the agency was founded in 1992.
Funding for “activist researchers”
SAMHSA’s recent LGBTQI+ Family Support Grant Opportunity funded projects targeting children of military families. Its purpose is to persuade parents that they should actively support their child’s desire to live as the opposite sex. Another grant went to a Michigan organization that enlists public school districts to help find students for its programs, DCNF previously reported.
This grant opportunity is one way the agency has become a major funder of efforts to make unquestioning affirmation of children’s gendered feelings a primary approach in the treatment of mental health problems. It is.
2020, Samsa issued $3.5 million grant to launch center Recognized for Excellence in LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity (CoE LGBTQ+ BHE) and currently accommodated at university connecticut. Samsa often point To the resources developed by the Center on its website.
two woman Marlene Matarese and Angela Weeks, who run the center, also received a $10 million grant from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in 2016 to support several programs for LGBTQ youth in foster care across the country. A center has been set up to begin trial intervention. Authoritarian parents affirm children’s gender confusion. (Related: Exclusive: Biden-Harris administration paves way for bureaucrats to take gender-confused children from ‘non-affirming’ parents)
Interventions previously developed with government funding, such as a program designed to improve parents’ “positive caregiving attitudes” called Affirm caregiver,now promotion By CoE LGBTQ+ BHE, funded by SAMHSA.
Affirm Caregivers remind parents that “being affirmative is not simply the absence of homophobia or transphobia, but rather the presence of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that affirm a clear, distinct, and consistent identity.” He urges people to recognize that. study This is a description of the program.
Through its partnership with Affirmative Research, the center offers: training session We help individual therapists and organizations learn how to use interventions.
Programs like Affirm Caregiver listed As a suicide prevention tool by CoE LGBTQ+ BHE.
This week, SAMHSA hosted its first-ever LGBTQI+ Behavioral Health Summit. Participants gathered at SAMHSA headquarters to discuss the unique behavioral health needs of LGBTQI+ individuals and discuss innovative solutions to address those needs. pic.twitter.com/01QtVRNsF3
— SAMHSA (@samhsagov) June 27, 2024
Joseph Filliolia, a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute, told the DCNF that these “questionable studies” funded by the agency “regardless of an individual’s unique circumstances or mental health needs, affirmations are always “It is being used to reinforce the narrative that it is a net profit and to influence public opinion.” and policies in that direction. ”
In June 2024, SAMHSA sponsored the LGBTQI+ Behavioral Health Summit. The summit brought together grant project directors, leading health organizations, and representatives from LGBTQ activist groups to address mental health and substance abuse in our communities.
Summit attendees included organizational leaders like Jesse, president of the American Medical Association Ehrenfeld and GLMA: Alex, Executive Director of Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality sheldon. (Related article: ‘Family rupture’: Biden-Harris administration presses judges to bring gender ideology into courtrooms)
“During the summit, one of the presenters emphasized the importance of helping families accept LGBTQI+ children by educating clinicians on evidence-based approaches to family therapy. “There is,” said Public Health Advisor Emily Hussey. I wrote On SAMHSA’s blog in October. “Another presenter discussed the need to increase positive LGBTQI+ representation in media, television and film. It helps show young people that there is a future for them.”
Dr. Jennifer Bowens, director of the Family Research Center at the Council on Family Research, told DCNF that these types of programs operate on the false premise that children’s problems are primarily rooted in “minority stress.” He said he is doing so.
“There’s no way you can explain human behavior in such a simplistic way,” she told DCNF. “But these activist researchers have built the entire issue around this issue.”
“Affirming LGBTQI+ youth”
Miriam Delphine Ritmon, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse I wrote In 2022, “Supporting and affirming LGBTQI+ youth is the best action mental health providers, families, friends, school personnel, and community leaders can take.”
SAMHSA’s recent awards show gender identity in unexpected places.
One SAMHSA grant of $375,000 Award Founded in 2024 at New York City’s LGBTQ Community Center, it aims to reduce the risk of substance abuse by providing “affirming and comprehensive services” to young people. The center will use the grant to help public schools implement programs like Proud & Empowered, which pulls students out of class for lessons on LGBTQ activism.
Students participating in Proud & Empowered will learn about LGBTQ history through games like “Queer Jeopardy” and read articles about how LGBTQ students have organized walkouts and marches in their classrooms. According to Go to the program site.
plus $16,000 in agency fees. funds Moved to install “gender-neutral” restrooms at substance abuse clinic in Connecticut.
SAMHSA provided usage guidance to states in 2024. Grant Funds not explicitly earmarked for LGBTQ people will be used to support that group.
For example, one organization in New York leveraged the Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) Fund to train community members on “LGBTQI+ terminology, health disparities, resources, and health care access needs.”
Agent too suggest Funds from Project AWARE, which aims to support school-based mental health services, are being used for LGBTQ support programs. In Hawaii, the Department of Education used the federal funding to strengthen Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) clubs in schools, according to the document. (Related: Biden administration spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to force military parents to confirm their children’s gender identity)
“The Union County Mental Health and Recovery Commission, based in Marysville, Ohio, used Project AWARE funding to support LGBTQI+ youth activities and hire specialized LGBTQI+ therapists,” the guide highlights. . “The Hawaii State Department of Education’s (HIDOE) Project AWARE grant supported the establishment of HIDOE’s Collaborative Workgroup with Sexual and Gender Minorities. Training for students and staff. Gay, Straight/Gender & Engaging with the Sexuality Alliance Club and working with state councils to host supportive youth forums.”
Similarly, National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) grant recipients used funds to host a “Native Roundtable Celebrating Two-Spirit Pride and Indian Youth Podcast” at the University of Iowa. Federal funds were used to train staff in “LGBTQI+ trauma-informed approaches” at several hospitals and care centers, the document said.
“According to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), LGB+ adults in the United States have poor mental health and substance use conditions such as depression, suicidality, and methamphetamine use. and alcohol use disorder,” the agency said in a statement to the DCNF before President Trump’s inauguration. “Similarly, NSDUH data shows that LGB+ youth are more likely to experience mental health and substance use conditions, including experiencing major depressive episodes, attempting suicide, and using marijuana.”
SAMHSA’s affirmation-focused program is being implemented despite other government-funded research showing that adolescent brains are not yet fully formed. developing Until my mid-20s.
“In our government, the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing,” Bauens told DCNF.
“Cut the budget to zero”
“What happens next with this agency ultimately depends on whether we believe reform is possible,” Fillioria told DCNF.
In a January op-ed for City Journal, Gorman argued that the incoming Trump administration should “zero out the budget” because SAMHSA has become a broader “home for progressive activity.” .
“While SAMHSA’s strategic plan mentions ‘mental health’ 250 times, ‘mental illness’ is mentioned only 42 times and ‘schizophrenia’ is mentioned only once,” Gorman said. told. “Those with the most severe disabilities and most in need are severely deprioritized.”
Government Accountability Office (GOA) highlights SAMHSA data issues quality and fail document She points out that in the past, there were no standards for its application.
“I think people are starting to realize that some of the things that have been going on behind closed doors in counseling rooms are causing a lot of harm,” Bauens told DCNF. “And while that’s not true in every situation, it’s happening more than it should be. Certainly, one of the ways we can address this is through clearly ideological and other research. It’s about cutting off some of the sources of funding for things that aren’t backed by.”
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