Despite President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans claiming to be the “pro-life” party, it’s becoming abundantly clear the only lives Republicans are inclined to protect are their own. As if the numerous executive orders targeting transgender and queer identifying folks weren’t enough, the Trump administration has taken its attacks on LGBTQ+ Americans to the next level.
On July 17, it was announced the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline would no longer provide a specialized hotline for LGBTQ+ youth, leaving millions of children to fend for themselves in a world built, oftentimes, against them. This decision is part of a recent U.S Department of Health and Human Services announcement where federal funding for the service was eliminated.
While the national hotline was signed into law by Trump in 2020, it wasn’t until President Joe Biden’s administration that the 988 hotline became available to the American Public. The LGBTQ+ youth specialized services hotline was established during Biden’s administration with the help and partnership of the Trevor Project, a known LGBTQ+ advocacy organization aiming to improve the mental health of queer and gender-nonconforming folks across the country.
According to the latest data from the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more than 14.5 million people have called, texted or sent chats to the 988 Lifeline and have been transferred to a crisis contact center since the hotline’s inception in 2022. Nearly 1.3 million of those were routed to the LGBTQ+ specialized service.
“On July 17, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer silo LGB+ youth services, also known as the ‘Press 3 option,’ to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option,” SAMHSA’s statement said Tuesday.
“The Press 3 option was established as a pilot program in Fiscal Year 2022 under a government agreement with a third party. The Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus included a Congressional directive for $29.7 million to fund the specialized services. Federal funding in FY24 for the Press 3 services increased to $33 million,” the statement said. “As of June 2025, more than $33 million in funds have been spent to support the subnetworks, fully expending the monies allocated for 988 Lifeline LGB[TQ]+ subnetwork services.”
The Trevor Project conducts a survey every year to collect data regarding the mental health status of LGBTQ+ youth across the United States, and the 2024 data paints a grim picture: as much as 39 percent of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year — including 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people. LGBTQ+ youth of color reported higher rates than white peers.
More than 1 in 10 (12 percent) LGBTQ+ young people attempted suicide in the past year.
Half (50 percent) of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it.
An astounding 90 percent of LGBTQ+ young people said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics.
Close to half (45 percent) of transgender and nonbinary young people reported that they and/or their families have considered moving to a different state because of LGBTQ+-related politics and laws.
It’s clear LGBTQ+ youth are statistically more likely to struggle with their mental health. While the Republican party continues to claim they are working to protect the vulnerable children and youth in the United States, their leaders are the ones who continuously slash resources for the most vulnerable among us.
<BOLD> In North Carolina <BOLD>
NC Health News reported from 2022 through this year, the state averaged more than 9,400 calls, texts or chats each month via its 988 hotline centers. In the past year alone, there were about 11,443 contacts per month, according to the DHHS data dashboard. Sarah Mikhail, CEO of Time Out Youth, told NC Health News her organization “felt really scared” when they learned the specialized line for LGBTQ+ youth mental health services was being discontinued.
“While [LGBTQ+ youth] can still call 988, they won’t get a specialized person who understands the unique needs of a young, queer or trans person that’s in need of support when they’re contemplating whether they want to live or not,” Mikhail said. “And so that’s what’s really scary to us, is not caring about the need for specialized understanding of the lived experience of queer and trans young people.”
WRAL reported the day the national hotline discontinued its LGBTQ+ youth services, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) was working to train its employees to fill in the gaps from the removal of the federal LGBTQ+ youth line. NCDHHS Director of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services Kelly Crosbie told WXII while the hotline for specialized service for LGBTQ+ youth has been discontinued, that doesn’t mean the LGBTQ+ community can’t reach out to the NCDHHS line for support. “Despite the end of federal funding, we are here,” said Crosbie.
Crosbie also stated the agency is working to provide funding to community organizations that support queer people and connect with local counselors. In a separate interview with NC Health News, Crosbie shared she does worry how this decision could impact queer or gender-nonconforming people seeking support or help now that these services have been discontinued.
“988 is here, that will not change. They’re very important, and they matter. We don’t feel good that it was eliminated,” Crosbie added. “We want people to know we’re prepared and that they matter.”
While the national specialized hotline is no longer in service, the Trevor Project has its own specialized line for LGBTQ+ youth mental health support. Here are some ways to get in touch with The Trevor Project, 24/7:
Text START to 678-678. You’ll be connected to a trained counselor and be able to message them privately.If you want to speak to a counselor directly over the phone, you can call 866-488-7386. If you want to chat online, visit TrevorChat.org