After a leaked budget draft was released late last month, organizations like The Trevor Project have issued warnings about budget cuts to programs like 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services.
According to the leaked budget proposal, the federal program that offers emergency crisis support to LGBTQ+ youth considering suicide would lose funding effective Oct. 1, 2025.
The program was implemented during the Biden-Harris Administration in 2022, and was funded through the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Since then, it has provided over 1.2 million crisis contacts with life-saving, LGBTQ+-inclusive services. Since then LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations have voiced concern for the loss of support for at-risk queer youth.
“Suicide prevention is about risk, not identity. Ending the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth specialized services will not just strip away access from millions of LGBTQ+ kids and teens – it will put their lives at risk,” said The Trevor Project’s CEO Jaymes Black via a recent release from organization.
“These programs were implemented to address a proven, unprecedented, and ongoing mental health crisis among our nation’s young people with strong bipartisan support in Congress and signed into law by President Trump himself,” they continued.
According to The Trevor Project, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 14, and the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds. LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people in the United States seriously consider suicide each year, and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
In 2022, The Trevor Project became one of the participating contact centers providing specialized services through the 988 Lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth. When contacting the line, crisis contacts were given the option to be put in contact with counselors trained to assist LGBTQ+ youth under the age of 25. At the start, The Trevor Project served as the sole provider for the hotline’s pilot phase, before additional centers joined the network.
“This budget is more than cuts on a page,” said Matthew Rose, Senior Public Policy Advocate at Human Rights Campaign. “It’s a direct attack on LGBTQ+ lives. Trump is taking away life-saving healthcare, support for LGBTQ-owned businesses, protections against hate crimes, and even housing help for people living with HIV. Stripping away more than $2 billion in support sends one clear message: we don’t matter. But we’ve fought back before, and we’ll do it again — we’re not going anywhere.”
Jaymes Black emphasized: “I want to be clear to all LGBTQ+ young people: This news, while upsetting, is not final. And regardless of federal funding shifts, The Trevor Project remains available 24/7 for anyone who needs us, just as we always have.”
If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.
