988 “Press – The Trump administration plans to restart the specialized “Press 3” option for LGBTQ+ youth contacting the 988 crisis hotline by the end of the year. But The Trevor Project, which helped pioneer and handle much of the program’s LGBTQ+ youth services, may be sh
For LGBTQ+ youth in crisis. the difference between a generic lifeline and a trained. identity-aware counselor can be the difference between getting help and hanging up. That’s what makes the Trump administration’s planned restart of the 988 “Press 3” option feel so fraught—especially as The Trevor Project. the nonprofit that helped pioneer and run much of the service. may not be allowed back in.
The “Press 3” option—often described as a way to reach counselors specially trained to support LGBTQ+ young people—was part of 988’s specialized offerings that also included options for veterans and Spanish speakers. In July, the Trump administration stopped offering “press 3” for LGBTQ+ youth with a month’s notice. Officials said the service ended because funding ran out.
Now, the administration says it is working to bring the LGBTQ+ youth option back by the end of the year. Congress directed officials to allocate $33 million toward LGBTQ+-specific interventions for youth, and federal officials are attempting to build the relaunch around that directive.
But whether The Trevor Project can participate appears to be the central question shaping what LGBTQ+ advocates fear will come next.
Dr. Christine Yu Moutier, chief medical officer for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said it “would not make sense” to keep The Trevor Project ineligible to help. She called the organization “a long-standing, high-quality and trusted resource” to LGBTQ+ people.
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin. who has led a bipartisan push to restore the service. said the administration “never should have shut down the ‘press 3’ option and put young Americans at further risk.” She urged the president to restore the service “without needless limitations and with the most qualified. experienced people answering the phone calls and text messages from these vulnerable young people.”.
The “press 3” option operated through multiple pathways: people could press 3. text “PRIDE. ” or use online chat to reach LGBTQ+-trained counselors. During the time it ran. the program fielded 1.6 million contacts. according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Trevor Project handled about half of the program’s traffic.
When federal officials canceled “Press 3,” they told the public that LGBTQ+ youth could still get help through 988’s general services. Officials also said the hotline would “no longer silo” the services “to focus on serving all help seekers,” including LGBTQ+ youth.
The relaunch could still bring “Press 3” back—but may do so without the organization that built so much of it.
The nonprofit that administers the 988 service. Vibrant Emotional Health. has called for applications to manage the return of the “Press 3” lines. But those applications are limited to crisis centers that are “current and active” members of the 988 network. The Trevor Project is not currently active in that network—not because it lacks the capacity or expertise. but because the administration canceled the specialized service it had been administering.
In addition to The Trevor Project, six other crisis centers that worked on the LGBTQ+ youth program are active in the 988 network. They handle the general population as well as LGBTQ+ people. Only The Trevor Project, however, had a specific mission to serve LGBTQ+ youth.
“This troubling development indicates a dangerous step toward degrading the clinical standards to serve high risk groups that the ‘press 3’ specialized services were founded on. ” Jaymes Black. CEO of The Trevor Project. said in a statement to the AP. Black’s organization still independently runs its own 24-7 crisis line for LGBTQ+ young people.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services did not directly respond to questions about The Trevor Project’s eligibility. The spokesperson said the department is working with Vibrant to restore the service by the end of the year as directed by Congress.
Moutier said other crisis centers are capable of providing high-quality care for LGBTQ+ youth. She also said LGBTQ+ young people who are often marginalized and bullied need “psychological safety” because they don’t always trust institutions to help them. She said it’s too soon to say she’s worried about the relaunch. but she stressed that the way it is brought back is as important as the fact that it is. “I think there’s the potential for great good, and some harm as well,” she said.
Even as officials move toward restarting “Press 3,” the shape of that return remains unclear—and advocates worry about politics creeping into a service designed to save lives.
They point to indications that the Trump administration’s approach to anti-transgender policy could influence how the program is relaunched. This month, a SAMHSA leader wrote to Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi that the agency needed to assess the “most appropriate approach” to restart the service while complying with a Trump executive order targeting the rights of transgender people. The executive order claims “gender ideology extremism” is a threat to women and declares there are only two sexes.
Black said he worries the next iteration of 988’s LGBTQ+ youth services “may exclude transgender and nonbinary youth entirely.” The Trevor Project’s statement comes as the group continues to provide its own 24-7 line for LGBTQ+ young people.
The stakes are hard numbers as well as personal experience. Studies show LGBTQ+ youth face higher risk of suicide. including a 2024 analysis by the CDC that found 26% of transgender and gender-questioning students attempted suicide in the past year. compared with 5% of cisgender male students and 11% of cisgender female students.
“While anti-LGBTQ+ politics may be altering the very purpose of this lifeline created to help save young LGBTQ+ lives, it is critical to make clear that politics has no place in suicide prevention,” Black said.
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