In a statement, the organization strongly condemned the insinuation that the resources they provide are in any way harmful to LGBTQ+ youth. A 2019 study from the Trevor Project, a national youth support organization based in the U.S., found that 40% of queer and transgender people had considered taking their own lives, making lifelines like these critical for vulnerable youth.
“There is a long history accusing 2SLGBTQ+ people of pedophilia and of ‘corrupting’ children and youth and the article explicitly uses these arguments against us,” said LGBT YouthLine Executive Director Berkha Gupta in a statement. “This rhetoric is harmful, unacceptable, and is overt homophobia and transphobia.”
Gupta added that the op-ed published in Corriere Canadese was intended to “delegitimize YouthLine’s work, including attacking the ways that we support Indigenous and Black youth.”
After Levy called out TCDSB on Twitter, the link has reportedly been restored.
TCDSB trustee Norm Di Pasquale, who confirmed the link was reposted to the district’s list of resources, said that he would bring a motion to the school board meeting to “provide more support for our LGBTQ+ students.”
Di Pasquale previously told LGBTQ+ news site The Advocate that YouthLine is an invaluable resource for marginalized youth.
“There aren’t that many LGBTQ resources out there, and YouthLine is a valued partner of ours,” he said. “From a personal standpoint, I know people who are very near and dear to me who have used that resource.”
This isn’t the first time that Levy, who won an Emmy in 2020 for his portrayal of pansexual David Rose on Schitt’s Creek, spoke out on behalf of LGBT YouthLine. In 2019, Levy’s fans reportedly raised $20,000 for the organization in honor of the multi-hyphenate’s 36th birthday.
In a thank-you video, Levy said it was “a birthday present I could have never imagined” and thanked his fans for their “empathy” and “generosity.”
Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for them.’s weekly newsletter here.
