The Trump administration is once again putting LGBTQ+ lives at risk — this time by proposing to gut federal support for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services.
A leaked budget draft obtained by The Washington Post reveals that beginning October 1, the administration plans to eliminate funding for the LGBTQ+-specific crisis line, a service that has helped more than 1.2 million LGBTQ+ people in moments of crisis. The decision, experts warn, could have catastrophic consequences.
“For countless LGBTQ+ individuals, the crisis line isn’t just a service — it’s a lifeline,” Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary and longtime champion of LGBTQ+ rights, told The Advocate. “It’s what stands between despair and survival, isolation and hope.”
Jean-Pierre, who made history as the first Black and out queer White House press secretary, was one of the Biden administration’s most vocal advocates for the 988 system. Throughout her tenure, Jean-Pierre frequently used the White House podium to highlight attacks on LGBTQ+ communities — and to amplify the importance of mental health services like the LGBTQ+ subnetwork of 988.
“If folks dial 988 and press the number 3, they’ll connect with counselors who understand their unique needs,” Jean-Pierre said in a prior interview with The Advocate in January before the second Trump administration began. “This is a lifesaver. It’s a lifeline. You’ll feel protected, heard, and not judged.”
The LGBTQ+ specialized line was created to address a mental health crisis that remains staggering in its scale. The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth seriously consider suicide each year. In 2023 alone, the organization’s survey found that 41 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously contemplated suicide, an even higher rate among transgender young people.
Moments of political hostility have historically driven spikes in crisis calls. After the 2024 presidential election, The Trevor Project reported a 700 percent surge in outreach and a 46 percent spike on Inauguration Day 2025.
“Dismantling this support system isn’t just negligent — it’s dangerous,” Jean-Pierre said. “The consequences will be devastating. Lives will be lost.”
Mental health experts agree that affirming services save lives — and that general crisis lines often fail to meet the specific needs of LGBTQ+ youth.
Mark Henson, director of federal advocacy and government affairs for The Trevor Project, emphasized that the LGBTQ+ 988 subnetwork has been “a vital tool” since its launch three years ago.
“LGBTQ+ youth are four times as likely as their peers to consider attempting suicide,” Henson told The Advocate in an interview. “The specialized LGBTQ+ services within 988 were designed because of this elevated risk, much like the separate support track for veterans. It’s about meeting people where they are with someone who understands their lived experiences.”
Since its launch in July 2022, the LGBTQ+ subnetwork has processed more than 1.2 million contacts through phone, text, and chat, Henson said. Demand has only grown, with the service now handling an average of 60,000 LGBTQ+ contacts nationwide each month.
“The question we have to ask is, if this funding disappears, what happens to those half a million people each year who have been relying on this lifeline?” Henson said. “Will they even trust reaching out to 988 anymore if the affirming service they counted on is stripped away?”
Henson stressed that the leaked budget draft is not final, and that there is still time for the administration to reconsider. He noted that the LGBTQ+ subnetwork was authorized with overwhelming bipartisan support, including by Trump himself during his first term. “It’s extremely rare these days for Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to come together on something with such daily life-and-death impact,” he said. “This crisis line was one of those rare bipartisan achievements.”
Henson said The Trevor Project will continue its work regardless of the political process.
Regardless of the political process, Henson said, The Trevor Project will continue its work.
“No matter what happens, we will be here for LGBTQ+ youth,” he said. “We’ve launched a petition to protect this funding and an emergency fundraising campaign to ensure that no young person feels alone.”
As the United States confronts a worsening youth mental health emergency, advocates say the Trump administration’s move sends a chilling message.
It signals that the needs of LGBTQ+ young people—already disproportionately at risk of suicide—are being deprioritized at a time when they most urgently need support. Instead of reinforcing the nation’s suicide prevention infrastructure, critics argue the administration is dismantling one of its most vital lifelines.
“Affirming crisis services are essential and have life-saving implications,” said Dr. José Bauermeister, director of the Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. “LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk for depression, anxiety, and suicide, not because of who they are, but because of the discrimination and rejection they face. Having a place where they know they’ll be understood without judgment can literally save lives.”
General crisis lines often don’t meet the unique needs of LGBTQ+ youth, Bauermeister said, making specialized services critical. “Dismantling targeted support services under the guise of ‘neutrality’ or ‘efficiency’ ignores the evidence: equitable mental health outcomes require tailored, culturally responsive interventions.”
While large-scale data specifically tied to 988 are still emerging, Bauermeister pointed to decades of research showing that access to affirming, culturally responsive crisis support reduces immediate suicide risk and increases the likelihood that young people will stay connected to care. He pointed to The Trevor Project, which found that when LGBTQ+ youth engage with affirming services, suicide attempt rates drop significantly.
Bauermeister also warned that the decision must be viewed in the broader political climate. “We know from research that policy environments hostile to LGBTQ+ rights correlate with worse mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ populations,” he said. “In a moment where anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies are escalating, removing affirming services risks deepening the mental health crisis among these young people by fostering hopelessness, reducing social support, and increasing feelings of isolation —particularly for youth who may be experiencing suicidal ideation.”
Lance Preston, executive director of the Rainbow Youth Project, told The Advocate the fallout could be catastrophic. His organization, like many others, is already overwhelmed responding to LGBTQ+ youth in crisis, particularly in the political climate fostered under Trump’s return to power.
“We were averaging just over 3,000 calls a month before the election,” Preston said. “Right after the election, that shot up to 6,000, then 8,000, then 9,000 — and now we’re staying over 9,000 a month.” His crisis teams are so overrun that some volunteers have had to take handwritten notes because they lack enough workstations.
According to Preston, the LGBTQ+ branch of the 988 Lifeline fields around 2,100 calls every day — calls that would now have to be rerouted if the Trump administration’s proposed cuts proceed.
“Where are those calls going to go? A kid in crisis can’t be told, ‘Sorry, only call us from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday,’” Preston said, pointing out that many hotlines, unlike 988, do not operate overnight — the time period when most crisis calls flood in.
He warned that LGBTQ+ youth already feel abandoned by their government amid waves of anti-trans legislation and political hostility. “Kids are telling us now that they feel like the entire country is against them,” he said. “Taking away 988’s LGBTQ-specific option just reinforces that message.”
Preston added that having affirming crisis counselors is not a luxury — it’s often the difference between a caller reaching out or staying silent. “Some kids will only talk to a trans person. Some will only talk to a lesbian. Some will only talk to another bisexual person. If they can’t find someone who understands them, they may not make a second call.”
He emphasized that losing the LGBTQ+ specialized services could drive up suicide rates at a time when organizations like his are already stretched thin. “We need all the resources we can get right now. It’s all hands on deck.”
Jean-Pierre emphasized that affirming services are not a political statement but a matter of survival.
“Just as veterans deserve to speak to other veterans, and Spanish speakers deserve culturally competent care, LGBTQ+ callers deserve someone who gets it,” she said. “Representation and lived experience aren’t luxuries in crisis care—they are lifesaving tools.”
She 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. It is the time to lean in—with compassion, with evidence-based care, and with unwavering inclusivity.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.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.
