The Trump administration will be shutting down the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ youth services on July 17
A spokesperson for the White House said the move is to avoid the embrace of “radical gender ideology”
CEO of The Trevor Project called on Congress to reverse the “fatal decision” and stressed that “suicide prevention is about people, not politics”
The Trump Administration will be shutting down the national LGBTQ youth suicide hotline.
On Tuesday, June 17, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced that in 30 days, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer utilize its LGBTQ youth services.
Effective July 17, the agency will “no longer silo LGB+ youth services” in order to “focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.”
The Press 3 option was introduced in 2022 through a government contract in partnership with The Trevor Project, a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ people under the age of 25.
SAMHSA stressed that impacted youth can still receive help. However, they will need to do so using the general hotline number.
“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,” the agency said. “Anyone who calls the Lifeline will continue to receive compassion and help.”
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services published its proposed budget for 2026, which included the elimination of the hotline’s youth specialized services program.
Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, told NBC News the proposed budget wouldn’t “grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by ‘counselors’ without consent or knowledge of their parents.”
“Radical gender ideology” is a political term used heavily by the Trump administration and people who oppose transgender rights.
Following the Trump Administration’s decision, Jaymes Black — CEO of The Trevor Project — said in a statement that the program has provided life-saving services to more than 1.3 million LGBTQ young people, and called the move “devastating” and “heartbreaking.”
“We received official notice that the Trump administration has ordered the closure of The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program, effective July 17, 2025,” he said. “This is devastating, to say the least. Suicide prevention is about people, not politics. The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible.”
He continued, “The fact that this news comes to us halfway through Pride Month is callous – as is the administration’s choice to remove the ‘T’ from the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ in their announcement. Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased.”
Black then called on Congress to reverse the “fatal decision” and ensured that The Trevor Project will still be available to those who need help.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
The Trevor Project has trained counselors to support LGBTQ youth 24/7. If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk, call the TrevorLifeline at 1-866-488-7386. To make a donation, visit their website.