The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will close the national 988 suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth on Thursday, July 17.
According to suicide prevention nonprofit The Trevor Project, the closure cuts off trained, specialized support that an estimated 1.5 million queer and trans youth in crisis have relied on since its inception in 2022 during the Biden administration.
The Trevor Project said its trained crisis counselors will still be available 24 hours a day by calling 1-866-488-7386; texting ‘START’ to 678-678; or by visiting trvr.org/get-help.
“This decision is devastating, but we are still here. Still fighting. Still showing up. Still saving lives,” The Trevor Project said in a social media post.
The Trevor Project is holding an online fundraiser to help fund the counselors and infrastructure to keep the crisis line open.
