Why a bipartisan group of lawmakers is demanding Trump save the LGBTQ+ 988 crisis lifeline
The same morning President Donald Trump’s administration officially ended the LGBTQ+ component of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a bipartisan group of lawmakers stood a few feet from the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C., to decry the decision and demand that the specialized “Press 3” option be restored.
“LGBTQ youth are not political pawns,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, addressing reporters gathered in the July heat. “They are our kids, our neighbors, our future, and they deserve to be heard when they call for help.”
The Press 3 option, established in 2022, allowed LGBTQ+ youth in crisis to speak with counselors trained in culturally competent, trauma-informed care. More than 600,000 contacts were made through the service in 2024, according to congressional data. However, the Department of Health and Human Services, under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced in June that the line had exhausted its funds
“The Press 3 option has run out of Congressionally directed funding,” an HHS spokesperson told The Advocate. “Continued operation of Press 3 would have required SAMHSA to reallocate funds away from supporting the main 988 Lifeline, thereby compromising the entire system.”
Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat from Oregon and a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called that justification “insufficient and dangerous.”
The same morning President Donald Trump’s administration officially ended the LGBTQ+ component of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a bipartisan group of lawmakers stood a few feet from the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C., to decry the decision and demand that the specialized “Press 3” option be restored.
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“LGBTQ youth are not political pawns,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, addressing reporters gathered in the July heat. “They are our kids, our neighbors, our future, and they deserve to be heard when they call for help.”
The Press 3 option, established in 2022, allowed LGBTQ+ youth in crisis to speak with counselors trained in culturally competent, trauma-informed care. More than 600,000 contacts were made through the service in 2024, according to congressional data. However, the Department of Health and Human Services, under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced in June that the line had exhausted its funds.
Related: Lawmakers call out Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ‘unconscionable’ apathy on eve of LGBTQ+ 988 Lifeline shutdown
“The Press 3 option has run out of Congressionally directed funding,” an HHS spokesperson told The Advocate. “Continued operation of Press 3 would have required SAMHSA to reallocate funds away from supporting the main 988 Lifeline, thereby compromising the entire system.”
Rep. Andrea Salinas, a Democrat from Oregon and a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, called that justification “insufficient and dangerous.”
In a letter to House appropriators sent Thursday and shared with The Advocate, Salinas and other lawmakers wrote, “LGBTQ+ young people are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. It is estimated that one LGBTQ+ young person attempts suicide every 45 seconds.”
The letter continued, “These young people deserve to speak with professionals who are trained and equipped to meet their unique needs.”
Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, told The Advocate in an interview that the administration’s claim that general 988 services are sufficient for LGBTQ+ callers misses the point.
“There was a data-driven reason and a compelling reason to fund it and start it in the first place three years ago,” said Moutier, who is a nationally recognized expert in suicide prevention and clinical psychiatry. “That is the reason that we at AFSP have been speaking out to call for a reversal of this decision and to reinstate and restore the line.”
Moutier explained that LGBTQ+ youth often approach mental health services with deep wariness, having experienced rejection or trauma within health care systems before. That makes culturally competent care not just helpful but critical.
“You’ve got one shot in this acute crisis moment to make a difference,” she said. Moutier noted that without specialized training or lived experience, even well-meaning counselors may not connect effectively with LGBTQ+ callers, making it harder to provide the support they need.
The bipartisan press conference featured several Democratic lawmakers and one Republican. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat and one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, said ending the LGBTQ+ option sends the wrong message.
“We’re not asking for special treatment, we’re asking for evidence-based services to meet people where they are,” Davids, who is queer, told The Advocate.
New York Republican Rep. Mike Lawler joined the call for restoring the Press 3 service, saying in his remarks, “This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. These kids need support, and that’s what we should be focused on.”
So did Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Marine veteran, who urged his colleagues to act. “We need to come together now, not later, and fix this,” he said. “Lives are on the line.”
The Trevor Project has warned that removing Press 3 may deter vulnerable youth from reaching out altogether. Moutier agreed.
She said the loss of a dedicated line could deepen existing mistrust in government institutions among transgender and nonbinary youth, particularly because the Trump administration and Republicans around the country have made transgender people scapegoats. Yet HHS insists that everybody will be treated with dignity when calling for help.
“There is a feeling of targeted oppression right now,” Moutier said. “With this layer of removal of the specialty line that was designed for them, the perception could still be that it’s a removal of services, not a welcome.”
She added that marginalized communities often interpret universal messaging, like “988 is for everyone,” as exclusionary when it erases tailored support that once existed. “What it can sound like is we’re not going to prioritize the needs of particular populations where there was reason to prioritize it.”
Colleen Creighton, senior director of Brady’s End Family Fire initiative, called the shutdown “a repudiation of the bipartisan bill the president himself signed into law in 2020.”
“The termination of the LGBTQ+ line on 988 isn’t just the cruel targeting of a historically marginalized population,” Creighton said in a statement. “Between 2020 and the president’s second term, however, LGBTQ+ populations—particularly trans people—have become even more marginalized, disrespected, and increasingly under attack.”
Still, Moutier cautioned against despair. “There is a rising up of support and solidarity amongst communities,” she said. “Just because this one service has ended doesn’t mean there are no resources left. But the loss matters.”
Rep. Chris Pappas, a New Hampshire Democrat, said he is committed to continuing the fight for LGBTQ+ youth's mental health care.
“The data is clear. The need is clear. And so is the cruelty of taking this lifeline away,” Pappas said. “We will not stop until this service is restored.”