Overview

• The Trump administration directed SAMHSA to discontinue the specialized LGBTQ+ routing on July 17 after the $33 million fiscal 2025 allocation was fully spent.
• Since its September 2022 launch, about 1.5 million callers used the “Press 3” option to reach counselors trained in LGBTQ+ issues.
• Critics including Jim Parsons, The Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black and Senator Tammy Baldwin condemned the shutdown as harmful to a vulnerable community.
• SAMHSA says general 988 operations continue and all callers will still access culturally competent crisis counselors without the dedicated LGBTQ+ routing.
• California officials partnered with The Trevor Project to open a state hotline and advocates are urging Congress to authorize new federal funding.