A leaked federal government budget draft would eliminate services for LGBT+ youth who call a national suicide and crisis hotline that reaches thousands of young Americans every month.
Under a budget plan from the Department of Health and Human Services, Donald Trump’s administration would slash all funding for 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services, a federal program that runs the “988” phone line and connects callers with counselors and other services.
The budget draft, first reported by The Washington Post, would go into effect October 1 if approved by Congress.
Since its launch in 2022, the 988 crisis line has provided more than 1.2 million people with life-saving, LGBTQ+-inclusive crisis services, according to The Trevor Project, which responds to nearly half of all calls and texts to 988 from LGBT+ young people.
Last year, The Trevor Project alone directly served more than 231,000 people through the program. The service for LGBT+ youth has received more than 1.3 million calls, texts or chats since 2022.
Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 14, and the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds. The leading cause of death among young people is gun violence.
LGBT+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers, according to The Trevor Project, which estimates roughly 1.8 million young LGBT+ Americans seriously consider suicide every year, and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
“Suicide prevention is about risk, not identity,” Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement.
Ending services for LGBT+ youth through the crisis line “will not just strip away access from millions of LGBTQ+ kids and teens – it will put their lives at risk,” Black said. “These programs were implemented to address a proven, unprecedented, and ongoing mental health crisis among our nation’s young people with strong bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by President Trump himself.”
In 2020, during his first term in office, Trump signed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act into law, establishing the number 988 as a crisis hotline.
The Trevor Project was initially the only provider supporting LGBT+ people through the hotline during a pilot phase in 2022. People calling or texting the number can “press three” or “reply pride” to connect with counselors specifically trained to support LGBT+ people up to age 25.
If the budget is approved, there would no longer be an option for LGBT+ youth to connect with counselors trained to support them.
A proposed budget would continue to fund the lifeline at 2024 levels, but it “eliminates the 2024 Congressionally-directed set-aside within the 988 for Specialized Services for LGBTQ+ Youth,” according to the draft.
The Independent has requested comment from HHS.
“In effect, the loss of this funding would result in a loss of resources we rely on to hire, train, and support crisis counselors – and to reach LGBTQ+ youth across the country amid growing demand for these life-saving services,” Janson Wu, The Trevor Project’s vice president of advocacy and government affairs said in a statement to The Independent.
Within his first days in office, the president signed several executive orders directly targeting LGBT+ Americans, including explicitly removing federal recognition of transgender people and upending civil rights protections intended to combat LGBT+ discrimination.
The administration has also upended access to gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth and moved to block trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. Trump also directed the Department of Defense to remove trans service members from all branches of the military.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
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