HHS shuts down 988 Suicide Lifeline's LGBTQ youth option

SAMHSA issued a termination order on June 18, 2025, shutting down the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ Youth Specialized Services effective July 17, 2025. The Press 3 option, PRIDE text line, and online chat for LGBTQ youth under 25 all ended that day.

The program served an estimated 1.5 million LGBTQ young people since launching as a pilot in September 2022. The Trevor Project alone handled 231,000 contacts in 2024, representing nearly 50% of all LGBTQ-specific 988 contacts.

Congress allocated $33 million for the LGBTQ youth subnetwork in fiscal year 2024, up from $7.2 million for the initial pilot in FY2022. SAMHSA said these funds ran out by June 2025, but the overall 988 budget remained at $519.6 million.

LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. The CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found 41% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year. The specialized service addressed this elevated risk.

Twenty-seven states have banned gender-affirming medical care for minors as of mid-2025. The federal government eliminated specialized crisis support just as these state restrictions created additional mental health burdens for LGBTQ youth.

On July 17, 2025, bipartisan lawmakers held a Capitol press conference condemning the shutdown. Reps. Sharice Davids, Andrea Salinas, and Republican Mike Lawler demanded restoration. Over 100 House members signed letters protesting the closure.

Senators Tammy Baldwin, Elizabeth Warren, Edward Markey, Jeff Merkley, and Lisa Murkowski sent letters to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding the service be protected. The administration proceeded with the shutdown anyway.

General 988 counselors don't receive specialized training in LGBTQ-specific crisis triggers like family rejection trauma, gender dysphoria, conversion therapy aftermath, or being outed. The Press 3 counselors had this expertise.