Trump administration to shut down LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention hotline leaving Trevor Project CEO ‘devastated’
“This is not about politics; this is about people,” CEO Jaymes Black says
By Aaron Sugg
The US government agency the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has announced under Donald Trump that a suicide and crisis lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth will be terminated.
SAMHSA said in a statement that the hotline will “no longer silo LGB+ youth services.” Instead, the body will “focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.”
The ‘Press 3’ option was created in 2022 under Joe Biden’s presidency, in partnership with the Trevor Project, a non-profit that provides suicide prevention and crisis support for LGBTQ+ people. Callers to the national 988 hotline can press 3 to be connected directly with counsellors trained to support LGBTQ+ youth.
The 988 hotline, which offers urgent mental health support across the US, will “no longer silo LGB+ youth services.” Instead, officials say it will serve all users through a general helpline. Between 1 July, 2022, and 31 December, 2024, the 988 hotline serviced over 1.3 million young people.
“It can be the difference between saving a life or losing one” – Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black on the 988 hotline
In response to the announcement Jaymes Black, Trevor Project CEO, took to Instagram on Wednesday 18 June, saying in a video: “Today, that hope and that lifeline was cut,” saying that the hotline will be closed “in 30 days”.
They also spoke on the need for specific LGBTQ+ counsellors, highlighting the “unique needs and challenges of LGBTQ+ young people.”
“It can be the difference between saving a life or losing one,” they added. “This is not about politics; this is about people.”
Black specifically mentioned the trans community: “When a transgender teenager calls because they are being bullied at school and are contemplating suicide, they need someone who knows that their identity is not a phase to be counselled away.”
Following Trump’s re-election as president of the United States in 2024, The Rainbow Youth Project received over 3,810 calls in just six days, with 67% of those contacts coming from transgender young people or their families.
The Trevor Project will continue to run its 24/7 mental health support services, as will other organisations, and leaders of 988 say the hotline will serve anyone who calls. It is also accepting donations to support its “crisis services, advocacy, peer support, public education, and research programs.”
If you are struggling with mental health, for more information and support, please contact Samaritans on 116 123 or LGBT Switchboard on 0800 0119100.