988, press 3.
These are the four simple numbers that could save a queer person’s life, yet some deem them as a threat.
On July 17, 2025, the national suicide hotline will terminate specialized services for LGBTQ+ individuals. The Trevor Project, one of the leading nonprofits that provided such services, received notice from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on June 18, 2025, instructing them to close the service program.
Since 2022, the “Press 3” option has been available to connect LGBTQ-identifying individuals, who call the national suicide hotline, with specially trained counselors that offer identity-affirming mental health support.
Though the general hotline number will remain in operation, the closure of such specialized services geared towards queer individuals can be deadly. A 2024 survey, conducted by The Trevor Project, concludes that LGBTQ+ people face a higher suicide risk because of their mistreatment in society.
While I am beyond fortunate to not have been in a situation where I had to call the hotline to receive specialized counseling, others do not have this choice. One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a queer individual is not being understood. I feel obligated to hold the hand of others through my experience with queerness, all while trying to navigate the evolving landscape myself.
I can’t imagine trying to explain the complexities of my identity to someone while grappling with mounting pressures of mental health struggles, but this is someone’s reality, and why these services are so important. In a country with growing anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans sentiments, having the ability to talk to someone who understands your unique experiences and challenges when you may be at your lowest point can be the difference between life or death.
When people don’t understand something, their first instinct is fear. The Trump administration is scared of the wrong number, ignorant to the assistance this hotline provides to queer people in crisis. Here’s one number we should all understand and be frightened by: 1.8 million. According to the Trevor Project, this is the estimated number of LGBTQ+ people ages 13-24 that seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S. Furthermore, according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, nearly 1.3 million people have called the LGBTQ+ youth suicide hotline since its inception three years ago.
Starting next month, over a million queer individuals will lose the option to speak to someone who understands their plights right at their fingertips. What is so terrifying, so “radical,” about wanting to be understood?
This is just another step in the Trump administration’s plan to attack LGBTQ+ individuals. On the same day the termination of the specialized hotline was announced, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Studies show that there is a connection between access to gender-affirming care and decreased depression and suicide rates for LGBTQ+ youth. With Tennessee joining over half of the states that have banned gender-affirming care, transgender LGBTQ+ youth are at a growing risk of disappearing.
These setbacks come over halfway into Pride Month, a time to celebrate queer joy, expression, and freedom. Right now, I want to mourn. I am mourning the queer individuals who have already lost their lives to suicide. I am mourning the closeted gay and trans teens who witness discrimination from their friends and family. I am mourning queer people of color, who are at a disproportionate risk to suicide. I am mourning queer youth in the South. I am mourning those who never truly understand themselves and never get the opportunity to explore their identity. I am mourning those who will no longer have access to this life-saving number who may become part of a larger, more alarming number.
With so many marginalized groups targeted by the policies of this presidential administration, it feels difficult to try and decrease one number while others continue to rise, but this does not dismiss the immense need to try. The Trump administration is terrified of a potentially life-saving number, so let’s show them how scary numbers can be, because there is power in numbers. There is power in sticking with each other despite the setbacks. There is power in showing up in waves to protest. There is power in uplifting the voices that are being shut out.
And there is power in being queer. Embrace it; do not be frightened. Do not let them fuel the fire of fear. Nurture the embers of pride while they glow. We cannot, and we will not, be snuffed out.
The Trevor Project will continue to provide specialized services through its own hotline. If you or someone you know expresses a need for help, call 1-866-488-7386 to speak to a trained crisis counselor 24/7.
