The largest anti-sexual violence organization in the United States is prohibiting its employees from making referrals to resources for marginalized communities — reportedly out of fear that the Trump administration will cut its funding for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) has dropped more than two dozen resources from its list of permitted referrals, according to documents obtained by The New York Times. Staff and volunteers who answer phone calls, online chats and texts have been told not to make referrals to organizations that help immigrants and LGBTQ+ people — who are at disproportionately higher risk of experiencing sexual violence.
“Our priority is and always will be to ensure the continuation of our mission of ending sexual violence and helping every survivor who reaches out to us,” a RAINN spokesperson told HuffPost on Thursday.
But RAINN confirmed to the Times that it has removed referrals to LGBTQ-centered mental health hotlines, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, a group educating students on sex-based discrimination, and books on understanding same-sex sexual violence, among others.
RAINN and its local affiliates run the National Sexual Assault Hotline, one of the country’s biggest crisis lines for survivors of sexual violence. RAINN also operates a federally funded crisis line for members of the military.
