Trump administration to shut down LGBTQ youth suicide hotline

June 18, 2025, 12:21 PM PDT

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[SAMHSA] announced Tuesday that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer use its LGBTQ youth services, also known as the “Press 3 option,” effective July 17.

The agency said it will "no longer silo LGB+ youth services" — notably removing the "T" representing the trans community in the initialism — to "focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option."

The Press 3 option rolled out as a pilot program in 2022 in a government contract with the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ people. Those in need of help would call 988 and be given the option to “press 3” to connect with counselors trained to assist people up to age 25.

The Trevor Project was initially the sole provider of the youth-specialized service, and it is now one of seven centers that make up the LGBTQ Youth Subnetwork.

It came about under legislation [...] Trump signed during his first term that acknowledged disproportionately high suicide rates among LGBTQ youths.

SAMHSA insisted that affected youths can still receive help [...]

“Everyone who contacts the 988 Lifeline will continue to receive access to skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress. Anyone who calls the Lifeline will continue to receive compassion and help,” the agency said.

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The Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed budget for 2026 eliminated the hotline’s youth-specialized services program this month.

Asked for comment [...], Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the proposed budget wouldn’t “grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by ‘counselors’ without consent or knowledge of their parents.”

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