LGBTQ+ 988 Crisis Service Returns, With Questions About Its Future

The specialized LGBTQ+ service on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has returned after the Trump administration ended it in July 2025. The service, known as the “Press 3” option, had handled more than 1.5 million calls, texts and online chats during nearly three years of operation.

Its reinstatement follows congressional approval of more than $33 million for services supporting queer youth, including the specialized lifeline. Activists, LGBTQ+ organizations and politicians had pressed for the service to be restored.

What changed—and what did not

The national 988 lifeline continued operating during the shutdown. Its counselors remained available to people from all populations and continued providing specialized services for veterans. The closure affected the dedicated LGBTQ+ option rather than the broader 988 network.

SAMHSA, the federal agency overseeing 988, said the specialized service had been shuttered for financial reasons. Critics, including Senator Tammy Baldwin, attributed the decision to politics. The competing explanations have not been resolved in the supplied information.

Baldwin, who authored the 2020 legislation that created the national lifeline, and Representative Seth Moulton welcomed the reopening. Baldwin said she would continue working to protect and strengthen 988.

Questions about inclusivity and training

Supporters celebrated the return, but the rollout details remained unclear, including how counselors would be trained. HHS said it remained aligned with President Trump’s executive orders concerning “biological truth” and gender ideology, but the agency did not provide details about how those policies might affect the service.

In a test of the reinstated live chat, a counselor used gender-affirming language and asked what made the user feel “most yourself and affirmed in your identity.” The counselor also encouraged the user to remain in spaces where they felt seen, heard and safe.

The Trevor Project, which helped pioneer the service by training counselors to support callers’ gender and sexual identities, said it was uncertain whether the executive orders affected the inclusivity of the restored services. The organization also said effective care requires ongoing improvement and clear standards.

A service shaped by funding changes

The Trevor Project was one of several groups contracted to answer LGBTQ+ calls through 988. It was excluded from the latest version of Press 3 because it was considered an inactive member of the 988 network.

When the federal service ended, the organization lost a $25 million contract and laid off more than 200 counselors. Its privately funded suicide prevention lifeline continued operating, supported partly by a campaign that raised more than $20.4 million from about 26,000 donors.

Mark Henson said it was impossible to determine how the Press 3 closure affected the private lifeline’s call volume. The Trevor Project also launched a petition seeking to protect the specialized option, collecting more than 54,000 signatures.

Why advocates say specialized support matters

CDC survey data from 2023 found that queer youth were more than three times as likely to report a suicide attempt as their heterosexual and cisgender peers. That disparity is central to advocates’ argument that crisis services should include counselors who understand the experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ young people.

Laurel Stine said the campaign to restore Press 3 reflected support for communities disproportionately affected by suicide risk and the need for counselors who are culturally responsive and affirming of their particular needs. She described the restoration as a starting point rather than an endpoint.

The Trevor Project has also partnered with agencies in Illinois and California to train 988 counselors in supporting queer youth. Advocates say they will continue pressing for sustained investment in 988 and other specialized crisis services.

What remains uncertain

The return of Press 3 restores a dedicated pathway within the national crisis system, but the available information does not establish how the service will be staffed, trained or governed over time. It is also unclear how HHS policy directives will affect the inclusivity of the service or whether all previous providers will participate.

For readers, the broader significance is that access to a national crisis network and access to culturally specific support are not identical. The 988 system remained available during the shutdown, while advocates argued that a dedicated LGBTQ+ option offered an important form of specialized assistance.

AI tools were used to assist with the preparation of this article under our editorial standards.