The Trump administration is working to reinstate the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s specialized support option for LGBTQ+ callers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a Senate hearing, Medpage Today reported April 24.
The administration removed the tailored service in June; it connected callers to a centralized network of trained counselors serving LGBTQ+ youths. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said in a statement it aimed to “focus on helping all help seekers” and would not “silo LGB+ youth service.”
Advocates said the removal reduced trust in the hotline, particularly among LGBTQ+ individuals who may not prefer local resources in certain states, according to the report. LGBTQ+ youths are four times more likely to seriously consider and attempt suicide compared with their peers, according to the Trevor Project. Close to 10% of 988 callers used the specialized options when it was available, Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, told MedPage Today.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who wrote the legislation creating 988, introduced a bill in September that would require the HHS secretary to codify the specialized LGBTQ+ program into law, although it remains pending.
Federal funding for the hotline totals $535 million under the fiscal 2026 law. This includes $33.1 million for the LGBTQ+ program, though no timeline for reinstatement has been specified.
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