988 LGBTQ+ Hotline to Relaunch, But Trevor Project May Be Excluded
8 verified2 unconfirmed
The Trump administration is working to restart the specialized LGBTQ+ youth option on the 988 crisis intervention hotline by the end of the year, but the nonprofit that helped pioneer the service may not be allowed to operate it. The administration ended the original “press 3” option in July 2025 with one month’s notice, stating funding had run out. Congress later directed officials to allocate $33 million toward LGBTQ+-specific youth interventions, prompting the planned relaunch. However, applications to manage the service are limited to crisis centers that are current and active members of the 988 network. The Trevor Project, which handled about half of the program’s traffic before it was shut down, is not currently active because its specialized service was canceled. The six other crisis centers that previously worked on the LGBTQ+ youth program remain active in the network and serve general populations as well as LGBTQ+ people. Advocates and lawmakers have raised concerns about excluding the leading suicide prevention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth, with some questioning whether the administration’s anti-transgender policies will influence the program’s operation. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services did not directly address the Trevor Project’s eligibility, stating the department is working to restore the service as directed by Congress.
What’s verified
The Trump administration is moving to restart the specialized LGBTQ+ youth option on the 988 crisis hotline after it was shut down in July 2025 with one month’s notice.
Congress directed officials to allocate $33 million toward LGBTQ+-specific youth interventions, prompting the planned relaunch by the end of 2026.
The Trevor Project, a leading suicide prevention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth, helped develop the original “press 3” service and handled about half of its 1.6 million contacts.
The nonprofit Vibrant Emotional Health has called for applications to manage the return of the service, but only crisis centers that are “current and active” members of the 988 network are eligible.
The Trevor Project is not currently active in the 988 network because its specialized service was canceled, while six other crisis centers from the original program remain active.
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin criticized the initial shutdown and called for restoring the service “without needless limitations and with the most qualified, experienced people answering the calls.”
A SAMHSA leader told Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi that the agency needed to comply with a Trump executive order targeting transgender rights while restarting the service.
Dr. Christine Yu Moutier of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention said excluding the Trevor Project “would not make sense” and that the group is a “long-standing, high-quality and trusted resource.”
Not yet confirmed
It is unclear whether the Trevor Project will be allowed to apply for or operate the relaunched service. The Department of Health and Human Services did not directly respond to questions about the nonprofit’s eligibility.
How the service will operate, including whether it will serve transgender and nonbinary youth, remains unclear. The CEO of the Trevor Project expressed concern that transgender and nonbinary individuals may be excluded entirely.
Key figures
Dr. Christine Yu Moutier, chief medical officer, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin
Jaymes Black, CEO, The Trevor Project
Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi
Department of Health and Human Services (spokesperson)
Vibrant Emotional Health (administrator of 988)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Sources: abcnews.com, statnews.com
