Philly mental health experts say Trump administration’s cut to LGBTQ+ suicide hotline adds to ‘crumbling set of options’

The national suicide hotline shut down its specialized support option for LGBTQ+ youth Thursday. Some Philadelphia-area mental health professionals and advocates say the decision reflects a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to roll back protections for the LGBTQ+ community.

Previously, callers could dial 988 for the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and “Press 3” to be connected with a crisis counselor trained in LGBTQ+ issues. The program fielded nearly 1.5 million calls, texts, and online chats since its launch in September 2022, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which funds the hotline.

“It connected LGBTQ+ people, especially young people and especially people of color, to affirming and competent mental health professionals who could understand a little bit of what their lived experience was like,” said Brian Mullan, a licensed professional counselor specializing in LGBTQ+ issues at the Thriveworks Philadelphia clinic.

“That sense of safety and being seen, being heard, being taken seriously, made all the difference in the world,” he said.

SAMHSA, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, announced last month that the hotline would “no longer silo LGB+ youth services” and would instead “focus on serving all help seekers.”

A spokesperson for the HHS told The Inquirer that the Press 3 option had run out of congressionally directed funding and continued operation of the service would have required SAMHSA to reallocate funds away from supporting the main hotline.

Advocates say the end of 988’s specialized services may put LGBTQ+ youth, who are already more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers, at risk.

“This administration has made a dangerous decision to play politics with real young people’s lives,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, a suicide and crisis prevention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth, in a news release. “I am heartbroken that this administration has decided to say, loudly and clearly, that they believe some young people’s lives are not worth saving.”

A 2024 survey from the Trevor Project found that 39% of LGBTQ+ young people had “seriously considered attempting suicide” in the past year. Only half of the respondents who reported wanting mental healthcare were able to get it.

Alexander Stefanini, a licensed therapist and founder of Arrive Therapy, an LGBTQ+-focused counseling practice based in Chester County, says a hotline “might be the only support” some young people have.

“There are so many more trans youth or LGBTQ youth who are homeless, who don’t have family support, who don’t have resources,” he said. “To yank that away… It’s like a safety net.”

Even at many mental health clinics, specialized care can be hard to find, Stefanini says.

“There are so few therapists who really know how to support LGBTQ people. If you go into any regular counseling practice or hotline, they’re going to have little information,” he said. “They’re not going to know how to provide any concrete support. They’re not going to be able to understand what the person is going through.”

Danna Bodenheimer, founder and director of Walnut Psychotherapy Center in Center City, which focuses on LGBTQ+ issues, says that sense of understanding was one of the most important parts of the Press 3 option.

“People were calling that number [988] with the assumption that they wouldn’t be harmed by the ideology of the person who picks up the phone,” she said. “If you’re going to a more national, not identity-specific helpline, there’s a much smaller likelihood people will reach out for help.”

Bodenheimer called the decision to end Press 3 a “deeply symbolic move,” saying “it’s the tip of an iceberg of a dismantling of resources that would keep this population alive.”

Since January, the Trump administration has made rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs a priority. Many protections and resources for trans people have been targeted, as Trump has fulfilled campaign promises to bar trans athletes from women’s sports and to cut funding to gender-affirming care and programs that promote “gender ideology.”

In an executive order issued on his first day back in office, Trump declared that “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes” that are “not changeable.” The order also demanded agencies to rescind documents inconsistent with the guidance, including “The White House Toolkit on Transgender Equality” and the “U.S. Department of Education Toolkit: Creating Inclusive and Nondiscriminatory School Environments for LGBTQI+ Students.”

For Joe Pomrink, the peer counseling program coordinator at Philadelphia’s William Way LGBT Community Center, it “feels like the pendulum has swung in the other direction,” after years of progress.

“I’ve seen, over time, there’s been an increased hostility and lack of understanding of LGBTQ+ folks,” he said. “It’s almost like they’re becoming a target or a rallying point for folks with certain ideologies and it’s unfortunate because we really need to move toward a greater understanding and acceptance.”

Advocates worry that, as the pool of resources shrinks, people will fall through the cracks. And nonprofits, they warn, can only do so much.

The Attic Youth Center in Center City offers free peer-to-peer counseling, resources, and programming for LGBTQ+ youth. The organization’s executive director, Jasper Liem, said they have seen a rise in inquiries about their free peer-to-peer therapy services since the November election.

“Cutting off this resource at 988 is going to increase the burden on places like the Attic,” they said.

Bodenheimer says there is a “crumbling set of options” that are “disappearing one by one.”

“Outpatient settings are basically just out there alone and cannot possibly meet the depth of the mental health crisis that we’re seeing,” she said.