LGBTQ Youth Suicide Service Stopped: President Trump has ordered the closure of an LGBTQ youth suicide service within 30 days. Opponents and activists have called the move one that will have dire consequences.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued a statement stating that 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, will “no longer silo” LGBTQ youth services. Also known as the “Press 3 option,” beginning July 17 “to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.”
The fate of the LGBTQ youth suicide hotline has been in the balance since April, after reports came in that a leaked Department of Health and Human Services budget proposal for 2026 would eliminate the program’s funding. The White House confirmed those plans earlier this month; however, it did not cut the funding for 988 which remained unchanged at $520 million for the year.
The announcement from the agency came during Pride month. The agency said the program, which was launched in 2022 under former President Biden, had provided specialized services to “LGB+ youth.” The new directive removes “transgender” from the acronym in line with Trump’s January executive order proclaiming the US recognizes only two sexes, male and female, and that those sexes “are not changeable.”
Also Read: US Supreme Court Gender-Affirming Ruling: All You Need To Now
Since Trump took office, other government agencies, including the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have scrubbed references to transgender people. They have also omitted trans-specific resources from their websites.
The LGBTQ youth service has received nearly 1.3 million calls, texts and online chat messages since it was launched in 2022. In February alone, the program received an average of 2,100 crisis calls, tets and emails daily.
According to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit suicide prevention organization that responds to roughly half of 988 calls and texts from LGBTQ youth, it received an official order from the Trump administration to stop work related to supporting 988’s specialized services for LGBTQ youth.
The nonprofit released a report last year that found that 39 percent of LGBTQ 13- to 24-year-olds in the US considered suicide over the past year. It included 46 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth. Half of LGBTQ young people who wanted mental health care said they were unable to access the service.
The recent Trump administration order to stop funding for 988’s specialized services for LGBTQ youth drew backlash from opponents across the aisle.
Over 100 House Democrats wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month. The letter stated that the move to stop the funding would have “lethal consequences.” Two Republicans, in a separate letter, said cutting that the program would strip “a critical resource for youth already at elevated risk.”
Read More: Why Has Princess Of Wales Pulled Out Of Royal Ascot Appearance?
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
Vladimir Putin during his visit to India, announced that the capacity of the Kudankulam Nuclear…
The Congress alleged that Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were not invited to the Presidential…
Redmi is expected to launch its Note 15 5G series which will have three amazing…
