Trump administration shuts down LGBTQ youth suicide hotline

NBC News

17-07-2025

The Trump administration on Thursday afternoon officially terminated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ Youth Specialized Services program, which gave callers under age 25 the option to speak with LGBTQ-trained counselors.
The announcement that the specialized service would be shuttered was made last month by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The agency said it would 'no longer silo LGB+ youth services' — notably removing the 'T' representing the transgender community — and would instead 'focus on serving all help seekers.'
'Everyone who contacts the 988 Lifeline will continue to receive access to skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress. Anyone who calls the Lifeline will continue to receive compassion and help,' the agency stated at the time.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched in July 2022, two years after President Donald Trump signed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, making 988 the universal number for the national suicide prevention line. The bipartisan legislation noted that LGBTQ youths 'are more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers and stated that SAMHSA 'must be equipped to provide specialized resources' to high-risk populations, including LGBTQ youths.
The specialized LGBTQ hotline was rolled out in October 2022, initially as a pilot program, receiving between $29.7 million and $33 million annually, according to SAMHSA. Also known as the 'Press 3 option,' the program gave 988 callers the option to 'press 3' to connect with a counselor trained to assist lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youths and young adults (they could also text 988 with the word 'PRIDE'). Nearly 1.5 million contacts were routed to the LGBTQ service since its launch, according to data available on the SAMHSA website.
The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization, was initially the sole provider of the specialized service, but eventually seven providers were part of 988's LGBTQ Youth Subnetwork.
Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, called the termination of the service 'unfathomable.'
'This administration has made a dangerous decision to play politics with real young people's lives,' Black said in a statement. 'The 988 Lifeline's Specialized Services Program was created to serve Americans at highest risk for suicide — including veterans and LGBTQ+ youth — with best-practice crisis care that meets these populations' unique needs.'
The option for 988 callers to press 1 if they are veterans or service members seeking specialized services will remain in operation.
'Sadly, more children are going to die in America because of this cut.'
Rep. seth moulton, d-mass.
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who co-sponsored the legislation that paved the way for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, spoke about the termination of the LGBTQ youth service in an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday.
'Kids are going to die,' Moulton said when asked about the termination's effects. 'This is actually the kind of thing Republicans should care about if they really care about American kids, because an extraordinary percentage of the people who call this lifeline in a moment of crisis say that it saved their lives.'
'As a veteran, I know how much it means to my fellow veterans to be able to push a button when they call 988 and get connected directly to a veterans crisis counselor — someone who's trained to deal with veterans. Well, LGBTQ kids need that, too,' he added. 'Sadly, more children are going to die in America because of this cut.'
It wasn't just Democrats who criticized the decision to shutter 988's LGBTQ youth service. At a press conference outside the Capitol on Thursday, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., joined several of his colleagues from across the aisle to speak out against the program's termination.
'This lifeline has provided help — it has connected young people with trained professionals who understand what they are going through, and in many cases, it has saved lives,' Lawler said. 'Cutting a program that is working, that is meeting a real and growing need, just does not make sense.'
When asked for comment about the termination of the LGBTQ service and critics' claims, a SAMHSA spokesperson pointed NBC News to the agency's June statement announcing the service's forthcoming termination.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, of which SAMHSA is a part, said the Press 3 option had run out of congressionally directed funding and added that continued operation of the specialized service would have required reallocating funds away from the main 988 Lifeline, possibly resulting in massive reductions in service.
While 988 has discontinued its LGBTQ youth service, LGBTQ youths and young adults seeking specialized crisis intervention and suicide prevention help can still contact the Trevor Project for such services by calling 1-866-488-7386, texting START to 678678 or visiting TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help.
Some states are also planning to help fill the gap left by the termination of 988's specialized service for LGBTQ youth.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state's Health and Human Services Agency would partner with the Trevor Project to provide the state's 988 crisis counselors with enhanced competency training in addition to the training they already receive.
'While the Trump administration continues its attacks on LGBTQ kids, California has a message to the community: we see you and we're here for you,' Newsom said in a statement. 'We're proud to work with the Trevor Project to ensure that every person in our state can get the support they need to live a happy, healthy life.'