CINCINNATI — Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday voted to adopt a motion that would allocate $500,000 toward funding mental health services for transgender kids in the community.
Council members unanimously adopted the motion, which Councilman Mark Jeffreys introduced.
“The political dialogue has been such that this population has been demonized and as a result, a lot of kids are committing suicide," Jeffreys said.
Jeffreys says the money will come from the city's health department. He says it will total 0.01% of the city's budget.
“It’s a very small amount that could have a pretty significant impact on the lives of these young people," Jeffreys said.
Jeffreys feels it's a rising concern, in part, he says, because of anti-transgender laws and political ads.
Jeffreys cited a new study by the Trevor Projectthat showed a 72% increase in attempted suicides by transgender youth in the past year.
“These are young kids and they’re going through a lot and we don’t want them to feel like the world doesn’t want them so much that they’re going to take their own life," Jeffreys said.
It's an issue that hits home for the councilman, whose adult son is transgender.
"I think the more that you understand the level of fear and anxiety, especially in the last several months, of folks in this community, it's really substantial," Jeffreys said.
During public comment at Wednesday's city council meeting, many people voiced their support of the motion and urged council members to pass it.
The funding also has local organizations, like Transform Cincy, thrilled.
“I’m grateful," Tristan Vaught, the co-founder of Transform Cincy, said. "I’m absolutely grateful that the city of Cincinnati sees this as a priority.
Transform Cincy offers direct services to transgender people in the area.
They say most of their funding comes from individual donors, but they hope new funding makes its way to Transform Cincy.
“A lot of times it’s hard for us to get grants because grant funding or corporate funding, they’ve said, 'well this is a little too political to give to trans kids,'" Vaught said.
Jeffreys' office says that, once the money's allocation is approved, organizations like Transform Cincy can apply for funding by submitting a Request for Proposal (RFP).
Jeffreys says he wants to see more support and acceptance for transgender kids.
“It should not be a partisan issue when it comes to kids," Jeffreys said.
The motion will require a future vote on an ordinance to officially allocate money. Jeffreys says he expects that vote to happen in the next couple of weeks.
