By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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FRIDAY, June 20, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2014 A popular crisis support line for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults is shutting down July 17, federal officials confirmed this week.<\/p>\n
The \u201cPress 3\u201d option on the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which offers specialized support for LGBTQ+ callers, will no longer be available. The same is true for the \u201cPRIDE\u201d text option, The Associated Press <\/em>said.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said it made the decision to better serve all callers instead of separating services.<\/p>\n The decision was made to “no longer silo the services,\u201d and \u201cto focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously helped through the Press 3 option,\u201d the agency said in a June 17 statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since it launched in September 2022, the LGBTQ+ line has handled nearly 1.3 million calls<\/a>, according to SAMHSA data.<\/p>\n LGBTQ+ advocates say the change puts vulnerable youth at greater risk.<\/p>\n \u201cSuicide prevention is about people, not politics,\u201d Jaymes Black<\/a>, CEO of The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that helps LGBTQ+ youth in crisis, told The AP<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe administration\u2019s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible,\u201d Black said.<\/p>\n The Trevor Project is one of seven groups that provide 988 crisis support services. It says it alone handled nearly half of the lifeline\u2019s LGBTQ+ contacts.<\/p>\n While the \u201cPress 3\u201d option is going away, the Trevor Project will still operate its own 24\/7 mental health services. Leaders of the 988 hotline say they remain committed to serving all callers with compassion, The AP <\/em>said in its report.<\/p>\n Advocates also raised concerns that SAMHSA\u2019s statement referred only to \u201cLGB+ youth services,\u201d leaving out the \u201cT\u201d for transgender people.<\/p>\n Black called the omission of the \u201cT\u201d representing transgender \u201ccallous,\u201d The AP <\/em>said.<\/p>\n \u201cTransgender people can never, and will never, be erased,\u201d Black said.<\/p>\n The Trump administration action comes at a time when suicide rates in the U.S. are among the highest in the nation\u2019s history.<\/p>\n In 2023, there were 49,300 suicides nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/p>\n LGBTQ+ youth, especially transgender youth, are at higher risk. A 2024 CDC study found that 26% of transgender and gender-questioning students had attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 5% of cisgender boys and 11% of cisgender girls.<\/p>\n The LGBTQ+ 988 support program cost $33 million in fiscal year 2024, according to SAMHSA.<\/p>\n The Trump administration\u2019s proposed 2026 budget would keep 988\u2019s total funding flat at $520 million, but eliminate the LGBTQ+ subprogram, The AP <\/em>said.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> signed the law creating the 988 line in 2020. Since then, his policies have rolled back civil rights protections for transgender people and access to gender-affirming care.<\/p>\n The change also comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> proposes reshaping the agency behind 988. He wants to combine it and other programs into a new office called the “Administration for a Healthy America.”<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n People with suicidal thoughts, mental health struggles, alcohol or drug problems can call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline<\/a> for help. <\/p>\n