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Trump administration to shutter specialized LGBTQ+ suicide lifeline option, sparking backlash

By
Sara Moniuszko
Reporter, Lifestyle & Wellness
Sara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at CBSNews.com. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch.
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Sara Moniuszko

/ CBS News

A part of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth — known as 988 option 3 — is being terminated under the Trump administration, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced.

"On July 17, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer silo LGB+ youth services, also known as the 'Press 3 option,' to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option,"  Tuesday from SAMHSA read. 

The agency said those who contact 988 will "continue to receive access to skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress."

In a statement to CBS News on Friday, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the "Press 3 option," which is managed by a third party outside of the federal government, ran out of congressionally directed funding. 

"Continued operation of Press 3 would have required SAMHSA to reallocate funds away from supporting the main 988 Lifeline thereby compromising the entire system," the statement said. "SAMHSA made a critical decision that sustained the entire 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline."

The nation's 988 hotline brings critical access to care for those battling mental health emergencies. Nationwide, calls increased 40% soon after the three-digit number was officially launched in 2022.

Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ young people, described the planned change as "devastating."

"This means that, in 30 short days, this program that has provided life-saving services to more than 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people will no longer be available for those who need it," Black said Wednesday. "Suicide prevention is about people, not politics. The administration's decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible."

The news comes in the middle of Pride Month, which Black called "callous." He also criticized "the administration's choice to remove the 'T' from the acronym 'LGBTQ+' in their announcement," saying, "Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased."

Sen. Tammy Baldwin also condemned the agency's move as "cruelly and needlessly taking" away a crucial resource for LGBTQ+ people in crisis.

"During Pride Month, a time to celebrate the progress we've made, the Trump Administration is taking us a step back and telling LGBTQ+ kids that they don't matter and don't deserve help when they are in crisis," she said in a . Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, wrote the  that created the three-digit 988 hotline. 

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees SAMHSA, has announced plans to reorganize and fold its functions into a new Administration for a Healthy America. SAMHSA has also lost staff to job cuts this year, including some who worked on the 988 hotline team. 

The  can be reached by calling or texting 988. You can also .

The Trevor Project's trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at , or by texting START to 678678.

For more information about , The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.

Edited by Paula Cohen

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