988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s specialist services for LGBTQ+ youth will no longer be in operation from July 17th, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA).
The administration said in a statement that everyone who contacts 988 Lifeline will continue to receive access to crisis counselors who can help with suicide, drug misuse or mental health crisis, or other emotional distress, but there will no longer be LGBTQ+ specialist services.
Shortly after its launch in July 2022, 988 Lifeline included a subnetwork for LGBTQ+ individuals to connect to specialized services. The service gives people dialing 988 the option to press 3 to reach crisis counselors trained to work with LGBTQ+ youth and young people under the age of 25 and adults.
According to the latest data from SAMHSA, over 14.5 million people have called on 988 Lifelines to chat, send or send text messages, and have been transferred to Crisis Contact Centres since July 2022.
“On July 17th, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 options, rather than the silo LGB+ youth services, also known as the ‘Press 3 options,” Samhsa’s statement said Tuesday.
“Press 3 options were established as a pilot program in 2022 under government contracts with third parties. The 2023 omnibus included a $29.7 million congressional directive to fund professional services. “As of June 2025, more than $33 million has been spent supporting the subnetworks, and is fully consuming the money allocated to the 988 Lifeline LGB+ subnetwork services.”
In October 2020, President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill in 988 that created a universal phone number to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.
About two years later, the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline began under the Biden administration, shifting 10-digit numbers to a 3-digit number that is easy to remember. Those seeking emotional and mental health support can dial 988 just like they would dial 911 for a medical emergency.
Since 2022, the federal government has invested around $1.5 billion in 988 projects, expanding the deaf or deaf people by creating access to services for Spanish speakers, LGBTQ+ youth, youth, and subnetworks for these groups.
This month, the Trump administration officially proposed to eliminate 988 Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth services in its 2026 budget plan. Some supporters of the move may view it as an efficient way to save on spending, but critics call it “deeply upsetting.”
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the future,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project.
The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ Youth, has been a professional service subcontractor since 2022 and has served as one of seven call centres.
“We are grateful to many who continue to encourage this administration and Congress to protect access to these life-saving services together with us. Without discriminating how our children’s tears identify, we are the time of our trust, across all faiths, all beliefs, and all political lines, and the time of our trust. “Now is the time to act.”
Some Democrats are opposed to resigning from 988 professional services aimed at LGBTQ+ youth, including Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin. She said in a statement Wednesday that the Trump administration’s plan to cut professional services comes when it is estimated that nearly 40% of LGBTQ+ youths have reported seriously in the past year considering suicide attempts.
In 2019, Baldwin, along with Senators Corey Gardner (R-CO), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jack Reed (D-RI), introduced a law specifying three-digit phone numbers for the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.
“I worked so hard to set up a special line for LGBTQ+ young people because we lost many of our kids to suicide and did something about it in quite a while. We faced dark times and even take life often nowhere else other than this 988 lifeline.
“At Pride Month, when we celebrate the progress we made, the Trump administration is taking a step back and telling LGBTQ+ kids that they don’t matter and they don’t deserve help when they’re in danger,” Baldwin said. “This is not the last chapter of this story. I will fight teeth and claws to protect these children.”
