The Department of Health and Human Services is reportedly looking into cutting funding for the National Suicide Hotline program for LGBTQ youth.
The information about the proposal was revealed in an HHS budget draft that was leaked last week, which would go into effect in October 2025 if Congress approves it. The hotline was originally launched in 2022 and allowed callers to speak with counselors who were trained to work with specific at-risk populations.
LGBTQ Youth Suicide Hotline
These include LGBTQ youth, who are found to be four times more likely to attempt suicide compared to their peers. Since it was started, the service for LGBTQ youth in particular has received 1.3 million calls, texts, or chats.
In February earlier this year, the program was found to have received an average of 2,100 contacts every day. Paolo del Vecchio, the former director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's Office of Recovery, said the decision would cut off the nation's lifeline to those in crisis, according to Mother Jones.
He noted that because of the Trump administration's "discriminatory practices," they are now pulling this life preserver away from thousands of people who need it. Additionally, mental health experts argue that trained counselors provide crucial cultural competency to LGBTQ youth.
Janson Wu, the director of advocacy and government affairs at the Trevor Project, is worried that there will be more LGBTQ youth reaching a crisis state and not getting the help they need. The situation could result in these young people reaching out to 988 and not receiving compassionate care.
The leaked draft also showed how the Trump administration is planning to merge the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) into a new office called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), LGBTQ Nation reported.
Cutting Funding for the Program
This plan lets the government cut federal funding for LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services on top of programs for SAMHSA to assist other marginalized groups with access to mental health services.
Jaymes Black, the CEO of Trevor Project, said suicide prevention is about risk and not identity. He argued that ending the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ+ youth specialized services will put the lives of millions of LGBTQ+ kids and teens at risk.
The situation comes as a study from 2021 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that about 45% of queer high school students seriously considered suicide. It also found that trans youth face much higher rates of suicide, as per HuffPost.
