After less than three years — and nearly 1.3 million calls and messages seeking help during a mental health crisis — specialized youth LGBTQ suicide prevention services provided by the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline ended Thursday.
Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat who represents Johnson County, spoke outside the U.S. Capitol alongside other lawmakers and LGBTQ advocates, decrying the change and calling for the protection of the hotline.
The LGBTQ chat service worked by users calling 988 and pressing three to connect with specialized LGBTQ youth counselors.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced the closure of the hotline last month, saying “the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer silo LGB+ youth services,” notably excluding the T from the LGBT acronym, which stands for “transgender.”
“Everyone who contacts the 988 Lifeline will continue to receive access to skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress. Anyone who calls the Lifeline will continue to receive compassion and help,” the administration’s announcement said.
‘They had someone to call’
Davids led a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, the same day the special LGBTQ 988 service ended.
She was joined by seven other lawmakers, including six Democrats and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler of New York.
“There’s more than a million of those moments where someone thought that it would be better if they weren’t here, and they had someone to call,” Davids said. “There’s a million moments where someone was scared and they had the 988 ‘press three’ line to call. And now, because of the Trump administration, that line is being cut.”
The hotline began as a pilot program in 2022, representing a landmark, bipartisan achievement, said Jaymes Black, chief executive officer of The Trevor Project, a national nonprofit that provides suicide prevention resources to LGBTQ individuals.
“Ending our country’s suicide crisis is about people, not politics — and we are devastated that the federal government has prioritized a political agenda over saving the lives of at-risk young Americans,” Black said.
988 crisis hotline launched in 2022
In 2019, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, Republican from Kansas, co-authored the law that designated 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.
The 988 crisis hotline will continue offering specialized services to veterans needing support by pressing ‘1.’
Nearly 40% of LGBTQ youth in the U.S. seriously considered committing suicide in 2023, according to data from a 2024 study by The Trevor Project. The same report found that when LGBTQ people feel supported and welcomed by their communities, there were lower rates of attempted suicides.
Davids, the first openly gay person from Kansas to be elected to Congress, said many LGBTQ youth are often given messages of hate — being told by peers, family or even government leaders that they shouldn’t exist.
“I often thank my lucky stars that I had the mom that I did,” Davids said. “My mom was supportive of me. My mom loved me and made sure that I knew that she loved me. Too many kids don’t get that. Too many kids end up in a moment of crisis because they think the world would be better if they weren’t here.”
In addition to the lawmakers, representatives from the American Federation for Suicide Prevention and the National Alliance on Mental Illness also attended Thursday’s press conference.
“As heartbroken as I am in this moment, I will never lose hope,” Davids said. “I know that the LGBTQ+ community is a resilient community, a strong community. We have always found ways to support each other. We have always found ways to help each other through crisis, through the good stuff, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
