The Trans Lifeline Crashed Because So Many Donated After Trump Rolled Back Student Protections

A bleak week for transgender students was made brighter when so many people donated to the Trans Lifeline that the service's server crashed.

More than $50,000 of donations rolled into the nonprofit that provides a phone-support line for transgender people over a 36-hour period. The flood of traffic actually caused the site to shut down momentarily as people, moved by social-media pleas from friends and celebrities alike, logged on to donate.

Thankfully, the site is fully functioning as of Saturday morning, and you can still donate.

The response comes as the Trump administration officially rolled back a guidance issued by the Justice and Education departments under former President Barack Obama. The guidance called for equal access to bathrooms and changing facilities for transgender students. The move was not totally unexpected; the Justice Department under new Attorney General Jeff Sessions had already canceled a hearing to defend the guidance.

The donations should cover over an eighth of the group's 2017 budget, Trans Lifeline Director of Communication Andre Perez told Mic.

"We still get calls every day that go unanswered because we don't have enough capacity," said Perez. "With this money, we will be able to pay for more staffing to work towards meeting the needs of our community as that need grows, with the increasing pressure from the political and social climate."