The Trump administration has officially terminated the LGBTQ Youth Specialized Services program under the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, eliminating access to counselors trained to support LGBTQ individuals under the age of 25. The shutdown, confirmed Thursday, comes five years after President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation acknowledging that LGBTQ youth are “more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers.”
Since its launch in 2022, the 988 Lifeline’s specialized service has received approximately 1.5 million contacts—calls, texts, and messages from LGBTQ youth in crisis. April 2024 marked a record high of over 70,000 crisis communications, reflecting both the need for and the success of the targeted service.
The closure is part of a broader effort by the Trump coalition to dismantle federal programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Though the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) stated last month that the lifeline will “focus on serving all help seekers,” critics argue that the reality has been the targeted rollback of services benefiting women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals, according to The Hill.
In June, SAMHSA gave 30 days’ notice to end the specialized program. Notably, its announcement replaced the inclusive term “LGBTQ” with “LGB+ youth,” omitting the word “transgender”—a move consistent with Trump’s broader campaign against transgender rights.
Trump’s policies since returning to office have emphasized rigid definitions of sex and gender. An executive order signed on Inauguration Day reaffirmed the recognition of only two unchangeable sexes—male and female. In a separate directive on military service, Trump labeled transgender identity a “falsehood,” declaring it incompatible with military values.
The Department of Defense has since renamed the USNS Harvey Milk—originally honoring the gay rights icon—and has begun phasing out transgender service members, offering bonuses for voluntary separation. The Trevor Project, which handles nearly half of all LGBTQ contacts to 988, has voiced deep concern.
“When the line goes silent, there are a lot of open questions that we’re trying to prepare for,” said Mark Henson, the group’s vice president of government affairs. According to the Trevor Project’s 2024 report, 39% of LGBTQ individuals aged 13 to 24 have seriously considered suicide. Of those who sought mental health care, half reported being unable to access it.
“The specialized service has been incredibly successful,” said Adrian Shanker, a former senior adviser on LGBTQ health equity under President Biden. “It’s an insult upon injury that the specialized service would be removed at this point in time.”
The Trevor Project has launched an emergency lifeline campaign to hire additional crisis counselors and maintain services amid the federal funding cuts. As Shanker warned, “The Trump administration has absolutely eroded trust in their own public health interventions, including in 988.”