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The Trump administration is defunding the 988 suicide crisis line for LGBTQ+ people.
The Trevor Project called it a “fatal proposal.”
As hundreds of thousands gathered in the nation’s capital to celebrate WorldPride, elsewhere in Washington, D.C., the Trump administration quietly made official its plan to eliminate a federal suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth.
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The Department of Health and Human Services’ Fiscal Year 2026 budget, released Friday, confirms the administration’s intent to eliminate all funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth specialized services—effective October 1. The move finalizes a draft proposal leaked in April and drew swift condemnation from mental health experts and advocates who say it will endanger the lives of queer and trans youth.
“We do not have to agree on every policy issue to agree that every young American’s life is worth saving,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project. “It is deeply upsetting to see the administration reverse course on an evidence-backed, bipartisan program that has successfully provided life-saving crisis care to 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people and counting.”
Related: Advocates and health experts worry Trump’s suicide prevention hotline cuts will increase LGBTQ+ youth deaths
Black added: “Since the news of this proposal leaked, the Trevor Project has been fighting back—each and every day—to urge our nation’s leaders to reject this fatal proposal.”
“In a nation where our children’s tears fall without distinction of how they identify, we must rise with one voice—across every faith, every belief, and every political line—now is the time for the full volume of our conviction,” Black said.
Codified initially into law during Trump’s first term with bipartisan support, the LGBTQ+ youth subnetwork within 988 was launched in 2022 and allows callers to “press 3” or text “PRIDE” to reach affirming counselors. These services, administered through SAMHSA, accounted for more than 1.3 million crisis contacts. The Trevor Project, one of seven centers in the LGBTQ+ subnetwork, directly handled nearly 50 percent of the volume in 2024 and trained more than 250 crisis counselors, the organization states.
“Research and data clearly show that LGBTQ+ youth experience higher levels of distress and risk for suicide. This is why the national 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline offers LGBTQ+ specialized services,” said John MacPhee, CEO of The Jed Foundation. “More than one million crisis calls have been routed to these LGBTQ+ focused services since 2022... The current budget proposal to eliminate funding... puts young lives in danger.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not respond to The Advocate’s request for comment.
Related: Ariana Grande & Pedro Pascal among 100 celebrities asking Congress to save LGBTQ+ youth 988 hotline
The announcement coincided with WorldPride, which brought global attention to Washington, D.C.—and as The Trevor Project intensified its public campaign to protect the lifeline. The group launched a petition, an emergency fundraising appeal, and an open letter signed by more than 100 high-profile figures across entertainment, sports, fashion, and food.
Signatories include Ariana Grande, Daniel Radcliffe, Gabrielle Union-Wade, Dwyane Wade, Ariana DeBose, Pedro Pascal, Orville Peck, Christina Aguilera, Dylan Mulvaney, Alan Cumming, Sophia Bush, Nathan Lane, Paris Hilton, Margaret Cho, and Troye Sivan.
Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, a longtime advocate of the 988 system, told The Advocate in April that the cut would be devastating. “For countless LGBTQ+ individuals, the crisis line isn’t just a service—it’s a lifeline,” she said. “It’s what stands between despair and survival, isolation and hope.”
Jean-Pierre warned that “dismantling this support system isn’t just negligent—it’s dangerous,” and added: “At a time when our nation is confronting a youth mental health emergency, now is not the time to turn our backs on our most vulnerable.”
The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth in the U.S. seriously consider suicide each year. The group reports that a young LGBTQ+ person attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.
