988 Mental Health/Suicide Line Rollback
Trump's ongoing war on LGBTQIA+ youth now removes dedicated support line
Imagine you’re 16. It’s late, and you’re terrified. You’ve just been outed at school, or kicked out of your home, or you can’t breathe under the weight of not knowing where you belong. You don’t want to call 911. You’re not in danger, not like that. You just need someone to talk to, someone who gets it.
That’s what Option 3 was. For LGBTQ+ youth in crisis, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offered a direct line to affirming, trained counselors. You dialed 988 and pressed 3. You texted “PRIDE.” You got someone who knew what it meant to be scared and queer in a world that often doesn’t make room for both.
But now, that’s going away.
Starting July 17, 2025, the federal government is ending the LGBTQ+ call routing option on 988. And while the lifeline will remain, stripped of that option, what we’re losing is more than a button. We’re losing a message: that LGBTQ+ lives are worth tailoring care to, worth listening to, worth protecting.
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What 988 Is (and Was)
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline was launched in July 2022 as a simplified, 24/7 mental health resource, like 911, but for emotional emergencies. Designed to be fast, free, and accessible, it routes calls, texts, and chats to a nationwide network of over 200 crisis centers.
From the outset, 988 was envisioned as a lifeline for everyone, particularly amid a growing youth mental health crisis. But by late 2022, it became clear that “everyone” doesn’t always include everyone equally.
That’s why Option 3 was created.
By dialing 988 and pressing 3 (or texting “PRIDE”), LGBTQ+ youth could be connected to counselors specifically trained to support queer and trans identities, counselors who understood the unique pressures of family rejection, bullying, identity fear, and systemic marginalization. Many of these calls were routed to trusted community providers, such as The Trevor Project, which became a cornerstone of the service.
It wasn’t just a call center. It was an affirmation on the other end of the line.
What’s Changing and Why
On July 17, 2025, the “Press 3” option for LGBTQ+ callers on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will be removed. That means callers will still reach trained crisis counselors, but they’ll no longer be routed to LGBTQ+-specific providers like The Trevor Project, who specialize in supporting queer and trans youth.
The official explanation is budget constraints and restructuring within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), particularly within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the federal agency that oversees mental health and substance abuse services. Over the past several months, SAMHSA has faced significant budget cuts, staff layoffs, and grant reductions. Services that once targeted marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ youth, are quietly disappearing under the banner of “efficiency.”
But the unofficial reality? This is part of a broader political pattern, one that includes:
the elimination of federal DEI programs,
rising anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the states,
and a calculated effort to erase specialized support systems for queer communities under the guise of neutrality.
And let’s be clear: when a crisis line “goes general,” it doesn’t go neutral. It loses what made it safe for those who needed it most.
Why This Matters So Deeply
For many LGBTQ+ youth, especially those growing up in rural towns or conservative homes, calling a crisis line isn’t just about surviving a moment of pain; it’s about reaching someone who might finally see them, someone who won’t ask them to explain their pronouns, justify their identity, or pretend they aren’t terrified of what happens if anyone finds out they called.
That’s what “Press 3” offered: a sliver of safety in a world that often feels entirely unsafe.
In rural communities, the stakes are even higher. There may be no therapist nearby, no clinic within driving distance, and no school counselor trained to respond with anything but awkward silence or thinly veiled disgust. Calling 911 isn’t just unhelpful — it can be dangerous. Because in towns where everyone knows everyone, the cop who responds might be your mom’s coworker, your uncle’s friend, or the same man who preaches on Sunday about how “those kids” are ruining America.
You’re not just risking rejection. You’re risking exposure. You’re risking retaliation.
Even when professional therapy is available, it often isn’t accessible. Sessions can cost $100 or more per hour. Insurance is hit or miss. Waitlists stretch for months, and for queer youth, finding a therapist who won’t misgender them or pathologize their identity is still a battle.
So they reach for what they can, a hotline, a text, a voice that says, “I’m here. I understand. You’re not broken.”
“Press 3” wasn’t a complete solution, but it was something. And now that something is being taken away from the people who need it most.
The Broader Pattern
This isn’t an isolated decision. It's part of a coordinated agenda that, over the past 18 months, has relentlessly rolled back support for LGBTQ+ youth at both the state and federal levels.
January 20, 2025: President Trump signed Executive Order 14168, defining sex as a binary “at conception,” rescinding DEI policies, and eliminating gender identity protections across federal agencies.
January 28, 2025: Executive Order 14187 blocked all federal funding for gender-affirming care for minors.
June 18, 2025: In United States v. Skrmetti, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, setting precedent for similar bans in over 25 states.
Meanwhile, HHS and SAMHSA have been restructured, stripped of equity mandates, and had funding gutted. Thousands of employees were laid off. Targeted programs serving LGBTQ+ youth were defunded. DEI has become a trigger word in legislation, not a mandate.
This is not fiscal tightening. It is erasure, and the removal of “Press 3” is one more thread cut from the safety net.
See our previous reporting on some of these policies here:
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What’s Still Available
Even as the federal government pulls away, the community doesn’t. The truth is, queer people have always built our own lifelines because we’ve had to.
988 may be losing its LGBTQ+-specific option, but affirming support hasn’t disappeared entirely. There are still people — real people — ready to answer the call, the text, and the chat. Many of them come from the community itself.
Below is a shareable guide we created. Save it. Send it. Someone in your circle might need it more than you know.
📣 Accessibility Note:
For readers using the Read Aloud feature or screen readers, here is a text version of the chart:
The Trevor Project – LGBTQ+ youth crisis support
Call: 1-866-488-7386
Text: “START” to 678-678
Trans Lifeline – Peer support by and for trans people
Call: 1-877-565-8860
LGBT National Hotline – General peer support
Call: 1-888-843-4564
Youth (under 25): 1-800-246-7743
988 Lifeline (Press 3) (until July 17, 2025)
Call 988, then press 3
Text “PRIDE” to 988
Crisis Text Line – Anonymous crisis texting
Text: “HOME” to 741-741
A Message of Love
To every LGBTQ+ young person reading this, or listening, or scrolling past, or silently absorbing:
You are not alone. You are not a burden. You are not broken.
Even as systems fail you, we won’t. Even when the government pulls the plug, the community keeps the light on. There are still people — real, human, present people — who will take your call, who will answer your text, who will say the words we all need to hear: “You matter. You are loved.”
This article is about a policy, but the deeper truth is this:
This country may erase phone options. It may ban books, strip healthcare, and criminalize compassion. It cannot legislate away your worth. It cannot defund your identity. And it will never, ever succeed in convincing us that you’re anything less than divine.
Stay with us. Reach out. We are still here, and we always will be.
Take Action: Refuse to Let This Be Quiet
Call Your Members of Congress
U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202‑224‑3121
Ask to be connected to your representative and both senators.
Sample Script:
“Hi, my name is [Your Name] and I’m a constituent. I’m calling to express outrage over the federal government’s decision to eliminate the LGBTQ+ crisis routing on the 988 lifeline. This service has saved lives. I urge [Senator/Representative’s name] to publicly oppose this decision, support full mental health funding for LGBTQ+ youth, and push for a restoration of inclusive services. We are watching.”
Support the People Doing the Work
Share the Resources
Post the chart. Print it. Text it to your group chat. Hang it in a school or a coffee shop. Save it for when someone you love needs to remember they’re not alone.
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Get exclusive access for just $1/week or $52 a year.
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Bibliography:
“Trump Administration Orders Termination of National LGBTQ+ Youth Suicide Lifeline, Effective July 17th.” The Trevor Project Blog, June 18, 2025.
“Trump Administration Removing 988 Hotline Service Tailored to LGBTQ+ Youth in July.” ABC News, June 2025.
“Trump Administration to End LGBTQ‑Specific Crisis Hotline.” Politico, June 18, 2025.
“Trump Administration to Shutter Specialized LGBTQ+ Suicide Lifeline Option, Sparking Backlash.” CBS News, June 2025.
“U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Prohibition on Gender-Affirming Care for Minors.” New Hampshire Bulletin, June 18, 2025.
“Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee’s Ban on Gender-Affirming Care.” National Law Review, June 18, 2025.
“U.S. Supreme Court upholds Tennessee law banning youth transgender care.” Reuters, June 18, 2025.
Lindsey Dawson and Laurie Sobel, “What Are the Implications of the Skrmetti Ruling for Minors’ Access to Gender‑Affirming Care?” KFF.org, June 18, 2025.
“Executive Order 14168.” Wikipedia, June 2025.
“Executive Order 14187.” Wikipedia, June 2025.
“2020s Anti‑LGBTQ Movement in the United States.” Wikipedia, June 2025.
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Canada has stepped up and gotten a US phone line that goes to their own LGBTQ suicide hot line. 877-330-6366