The Trump administration is ending a specialized suicide hotline for LGBTQ-plus youth and young adults on July 17.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, will no longer offer separate LGBTQ+ youth counseling — also known as the “Press 3 option.”
The statement did not include the T for transgender or the Q for queer.
Kristina Sabetta is with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Valley of the Sun Chapter.
"It's dangerous, it's completely unacceptable. We know that this option has been utilized by our youth. In fact, 10% of all 988 contacts have been Press 3 option," said Sabetta.
Sabetta says the counselors who answered the Press 3 calls or texts either have a shared lived experience or are specially trained to serve the LGBTQ+ youth community.
"It's an absolute tragedy. We have more and more folks coming to our support groups from this community, scared — scared to death and unsure of what the future holds and how much work is this going to get?"
According to the Trevor Project, which serves LGBTQ-plus youth, “the Press 3” option has provided 1.3 million crisis contacts since it was implemented in 2022."
