Trans Lifeline’s hotline is going bilingual!

Spanish Extension launches this Summer

by Eliot Olson

Eliot Olson (he/him) is a volunteer at Trans Lifeline, a trans-run organization offering emotional and financial support to trans people across the US and Canada.

This summer, Trans Lifeline’s hotline is launching a Spanish language extension. Since 2014, we’re the only national hotline operated entirely by trans people. We provide peer and crisis support across the US and Canada, and regularly receive calls from other countries. However, until this year, the line hasn’t featured built-in options for speaking to an operator fluent in a language other than English. Offering peer and crisis support from Spanish speaking trans operators creates a new level of accessibility and community for monolingual Spanish speakers.

In the last two years, Trans Lifeline’s hotline has received a massive uptick in calls from people who speak Spanish.

From 2018 to 2019, Trans Lifeline operators answered 23 times more calls tagged as Spanish language. We experienced a 386% increase in calls tagged Latinx, and a 146% increase in calls from immigrants — including those in detention centers.

As anti-immigrant and anti-trans sentiment becomes increasingly codified in US state and Federal law, the only national hotline operated entirely by trans people is stepping up to respond.Our hotline stands out among others in many ways. The Hotline’s Program Director IV Staklo says:

Besides all of our operators being trans, we are entirely anonymous, confidential and informed consent based. This means that we will never call emergency services on you unless you ask us to, and our priority is to talk about whatever is important to you — trans person to trans person.

Trans people, immigrants, and people of color — particularly people who stand at the intersection of these identities — are at an especially high risk of suffering harm at the hands of law enforcement, ICE, detention staff, and emergency responders. Thus, we used the first hotline-specific grant we received to expand services for monolingual Spanish speakers. T Peña, the hotline’s bilingual services coordinator, says: “By removing this language barrier, we are making sure that the resources we offer go directly into the hands of the people that most need it.”

How will the Spanish extension work?

The numbers for the hotline will remain the same. US: 877–565–8860 and Canada: 877–330–6366. Callers will now select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish and be connected with a trans operator who speaks the language they selected. When call volume is high, the Spanish extension will also allow you to leave a voicemail and receive a callback from a Spanish-speaking operator.. All of our policies on the extension will remain the same: all operators are trans, the line is anonymous and confidential, and the no nonconsensual active rescue policy remains in place.

A critical time for our community

Staklo says: “Even prior to the current administration, trans Latinx people and immigrants have faced higher risks of violence in employment, housing, healthcare and accessing resources. There are higher rates of abuse from the state and inside institutions. This hotline’s work is not just about peer support, but also about accessing resources. One part of building out this program is creating a reliable and trustworthy resource database, as well as building partnerships with Latinx and immigrants’ LGBTQ organizations that do similar work.”

In a country that increasingly invests massive resources into violently targeting trans people of color and immigrants, trans Latinx folks are presented with particular barriers. Today, our communities are grieving and fighting back in the face of police violence against Black and Brown people. With police, CBP and ICE patrolling protests and public spaces alike, trans BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) reiterate the need for culturally relevant emotional support spaces free from both clinical interventions and the threat of authorities.

Álvaro Cuervo, a bilingual staff operator with a background in clinical mental health work, says: “Offering this service can even have an effect on how people think about immigration, racial justice issues and trans issues. The work we do on the line is very different because of that no active rescue policy. Folks feel more comfortable calling our line and speaking to a stranger instead of a mental health provider. Once you take away the fear of being hospitalized and institutionalized, people are able to be more vulnerable. Call statistics back this up. Two of the most common themes that come up on calls tagged as Spanish language are police violence and the need for legal aid.

How can you help?

To become a volunteer operator, check out volunteer opportunities here. Requirements in English or Spanish are: identifying as trans, being 18 or older, living in the US or Canada, having access to a phone and internet, and being fluent in the language in question.

Peña says:

We need to ensure that our BIPOC communities are being helped with this resource we have. If you are a BIPOC trans person who speaks Spanish who wants to give back to the community, I want you here.

If you are cisgender and have experience supporting trans loved ones, the line also needs volunteer operators who help other cis people learn to better support trans loved ones.

We are excited to launch this new service, and with it hope to continue to build bridges and erase barriers throughout our community by supporting each other in a time of struggle. If you have any questions or want to reach our department, you can reach us at: spanishhotline@translifeline.org