LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Line to Be Cut from US National Hotline

A specialized part of the US national suicide prevention hotline that caters to LGBTQ youth is set to be shut down within 30 days, following a decision by the Trump administration to cut its federal funding.

Key Details:

• The LGBTQ youth line is part of the broader 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a free mental health service operated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

• Option 3, which directly connected LGBTQ youth to trained counselors, will be eliminated.

• The Trevor Project, which helped operate the LGBTQ segment, criticized the move, calling it a dangerous rollback of services for high-risk individuals.

• According to the Trevor Project, the LGBTQ option handled more than 231,000 crisis contacts in 2024.

Why the Cut?

• SAMHSA stated the hotline will now serve “all help seekers” equally, arguing that specialized options may “silo” services.

• However, an HHS spokesperson told NBC News that the LGBTQ-specific service promoted “radical gender ideology” and implied it operated without adequate parental oversight.

• Critics see this as part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to roll back federal protections for transgender and queer people.

Wider Political Context:

• The decision comes during Pride Month and shortly after the US Supreme Court upheld a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for minors in Tennessee.

• The change also follows a 2020 law, passed with bipartisan support and signed by Trump, which required targeted support in suicide prevention services for vulnerable groups including LGBTQ youth.

• Research cited in that law noted that 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth and over 1 in 3 transgender youth had attempted suicide.

Policy Shifts Under Trump:

• The administration has:

  • Ended federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

  • Ordered the removal of transgender personnel from the military.

  • Signed an executive order recognizing only male and female as legal sexes.

  • Removed the ability for passport applicants to choose “X” as a gender marker.

What Happens Next?

• While 988’s LGBTQ option will be removed, The Trevor Project says it will continue its independent crisis services.

• The general 988 hotline remains operational, but without the specific route to LGBTQ-trained counselors.