As of July 17, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline will no longer offer specialized support to LGBTQ callers, by order of the Trump administration.
The Trevor Project, the nonprofit that had provided the specialized lines for callers identifying themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community, had received a stop-work order for the extra service on Wednesday. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) overseeing the hotline, confirmed the decision.
The potential cutting of the LGBTQ+ 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline had been leaked in a 2026 budget draft last month. In reaction to the news at that time, more than 100 House members had signed a letter urging the health department to preserve the LGBTQ+ option, with seven senators writing and signing their own response to the lifeline cuts.
In a statement that referred to “L.G.B.+ youth services,” noticeably omitting the “T” for transgender, SAMHSA said that the decision was based on a desire to “no longer silo” those services and to “focus on serving all help seekers.” A spokesman for the White House responded to an inquiry by referring to that statement, while a spokeswoman for H.H.S. said that the LGBTQ+ section had “run out of congressionally directed funding” and that continuing to fund it would jeopardize the entire hotline.
For clarity, the hotline will still maintain the same overall funding of $520 million. By cutting the specialized lines to the LGBTQ+ section, only $33 million will be saved by the effort.
The White House Office of Management and Budget previously had an entirely different reason for getting rid of the hotline section, stating that the line was a place “where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by ‘counselors’ without consent or knowledge of their parents.”
In a response to the cuts, The Trevor Project issued a statement, saying it would continue to provide crisis services through its own hotline.
“I want every LGBTQ+ young person to know that you are worthy, you are loved and you belong, despite this heartbreaking news,” said Jaymes Black, the organization’s chief executive. “The Trevor Project’s crisis counselors are here for you 24/7, just as we always have been.”
While the Trevor Project has made clear their attention to provide counseling services for LGBTQ+ youth, no word has been forthcoming about any such services available for senior or middle age members of our community in need.
The government’s decision to end the specific LGBTQ+ aspect of the 988 service could drastically impact the number of people the Trevor Project serves. In 2024, counselors there helped about 500,000 people, of which 231,000 came through the 988 line, said Zach Eisenstein, a spokesman for the organization.