The Trump administration has officially eliminated a specialized hotline for suicide services directed at LGBTQ youth and young adults, the Trevor Project News reported on Wednesday.
Last week the Department of Health and Human Services had proposed a budget for 2026 that eliminated government funding for LGBTQ-specific counseling. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said the government would be providing the same funding for the 988 suicide prevention line as it has in the Biden administration. "It does not, however, grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by 'counselors' without consent or knowledge of their parents," the OMB spokesperson added.
Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black issued a statement decrying the administration's latest move. "Suicide prevention is about people, not politics. The administration's decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible."
The Trevor Project is a nonprofit organization that provides trained counselors and suicide prevention efforts for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
"We received official notice that the Trump administration has ordered the closure of The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program, effective July 17, 2025. This means that in 30 short days this program that has provided life-saving services to more than 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people will no longer be available for those who need it," Black continued.
Wednesday's order continues the Trump administration's effort to undo many of the policies under former President Joe Biden. In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government" that, among other objectives, rescinds the Biden administration's executive orders and agency guidance that promote "gender" as a concept distinct from biological sex.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.