Topline
Support for LGBTQ+ callers to the national suicide prevention hotline will end next month, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday, ending a counseling service first introduced in legislation during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The suicide prevention hotline will “no longer silo” its services and will instead “focus on serving ... More
The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that provided support to LGBTQ+ callers in a partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said Wednesday the Trump administration ordered the specialized line to be closed by July 17.
SAMHSA confirmed the order and referred Forbes to a statement, indicating the specialized support was closed to “no longer silo” the hotline’s services and to “focus on serving all help seekers.”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s number became 988 under legislation signed by Trump in 2020, though the bill also required the hotline to provide LGBTQ+ youth and young adults with “specially trained staff and partner organizations,” citing increased suicide ideation among LGBTQ+ youth.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told the New York Times that direct congressional funding for the LGBTQ+ service was depleted, and additional funding would jeopardize the entire hotline.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed 2026 budget included $520 million in funds for 988, but it also ended government funding for LGBTQ+ counseling.
This is a developing story.