politics
Trump Administration Plans to Restart LGBTQ+ Youth Option on 988 Hotline by End of 2026
The administration ended the specialized option in July but now plans to relaunch it using $33 million allocated by Congress. Applications are limited to active 988 network centers, excluding the Trevor Project.
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The Trump administration is preparing to restart the specialized LGBTQ+ youth option on the 988 crisis hotline by the end of 2026. The administration ended the option in July after funding ran out. Callers previously reached it by pressing 3, texting PRIDE or using online chat.
Congress directed $33 million for LGBTQ+-specific youth interventions on the hotline. Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit that administers 988, has issued a call for applications limited to current and active network member crisis centers. The Trevor Project is not an active member of the 988 network, though it handled about half of the 1.6 million contacts the specialized option received while operating.
Six other centers that previously worked on the option remain active in the network. A SAMHSA leader wrote to Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi this month that the agency must assess the most appropriate approach to restart the service while complying with a Trump executive order on transgender rights.
The order declares there are only two sexes. The administration stated it ended the option because funding ran out. The Trevor Project continues to operate its own independent 24/7 crisis line for LGBTQ+ youth.
A 2024 CDC analysis found that 26% of transgender and gender-questioning students attempted suicide in the past year, compared with 5% of cisgender male students and 11% of cisgender female students.
