From The Asian Reporter, V35, #7 (July 7, 2025), page 9 & 11.

By Devi Shastri

The Associated Press

The 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will stop providing tailored support options to LGBTQ+ youth and young adults on July 17, according to a statement on a federal agency’s website.

The decision preempts the Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal to cut funding for 988’s LGBTQ+ youth and young adult services, and is raising alarm bells among LGBTQ+ advocates.

Federal data shows the LGBTQ+ youth program has served nearly 1.3 million callers since it started in September 2022. The services were accessible under the "Press 3" option on the phone or by replying "PRIDE" via text.

According to the Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, "there is a significant association between anti-LGBTQ+ victimization and disproportionately high rates of suicide risk — and that far too many young people struggle to access the mental healthcare they need."

Key findings of the survey revealed that 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year — including 46% of transgender and nonbinary young people. Further, LGBTQ+ youth of color reported higher rates than their white peers.

Another survey finding was that 50% of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental healthcare in the past year were not able to obtain it.

The decision was made to "no longer silo" the services and "to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option," the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said in a statement on its website.

News of the LGBTQ+ service shutting down comes as the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors in June.

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