The Trump administration is reviewing a national suicide hotline feature that connects minors with transgender activist groups, raising concerns about parental oversight and federal funding allocations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Trump administration is actively assessing potential changes to the 988 suicide and crisis hotline’s LGBTQ youth service, which directs minors to transgender advocacy organizations without parental notification, according to a report by the Daily Caller News foundation. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed that the agency is evaluating the service’s compliance with President Donald Trump’s recent Executive Order Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. “HHS is reviewing the 988 Hotline and working to ensure that HHS better serves the American people at the highest and most efficient standard, as it relates to those experiencing a suicidal crisis or emotional distress,” the spokesperson stated, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The LGBTQ-specific service, which has received over a million contacts since its launch in 2022, allows minors who text “PRIDE” to 988 or press option “3” to connect with specialized counselors. Federal data shows that the program was initially operated solely by The Trevor Project, an activist organization that provides crisis intervention and gender identity counseling. Under the Biden administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) invested $7.2 million into the initiative, expanding the number of subcontractors involved.
The Trevor Project, a primary partner in the program, has been criticized by groups such as Parents Defending Education, which flagged the organization for facilitating private online chats between children and adult transgender activists. The platform’s online chat function includes a “quick exit feature” that erases browser history, allowing minors to hide interactions from their parents.
An additional concern raised by advocacy groups is TrevorSpace, a separate online community affiliated with The Trevor Project that allows users aged 13 to 24, including adults, to discuss sexuality and gender topics. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty drafted a letter warning parents that the forum enables adults to share physical locations and methods for private, off-platform communication with minors. In response, a spokesperson for The Trevor Project claimed that moderators prevent direct messaging between minors and adults.
Beyond crisis counseling, The Trevor Project engages in activist efforts, including an “adult ally” training program for educators and healthcare providers. It also recommends school policies that support transgender students without requiring parental consent. The organization opposes measures that mandate schools to inform parents if their child begins using a new name or pronouns and supports policies allowing biological males to access female bathrooms and locker rooms.
The Trevor Project’s partnership with the 988 hotline has faced operational challenges, including extensive wait times and mismanagement, as reported by The Washington Blade. Preston Mitchum, the organization’s former director of advocacy and government affairs, criticized its leadership for prioritizing funding and notoriety over its responsibility to LGBTQ individuals. “They lost sight of their core mission,” he said.
“When contacts reach out to The Trevor Project’s 24/7 crisis intervention services, they receive best-in-class crisis care, accredited by the American Association of Suicidology, to help them through their darkest moments,” a spokesperson for The Trevor Project told DCNF in response to criticism.
Federal Funding and Oversight
The 988 suicide prevention hotline was established through bipartisan legislation signed by President Trump in 2020. The bill included provisions to ensure specialized services for high-risk populations, including LGBTQ youth. Sam Brinton, a nonbinary former Biden Department of Energy official dismissed for multiple thefts, was a key lobbyist for the bill while serving as vice president of advocacy at The Trevor Project.
Brinton also helped draft the organization’s Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention, a resource still used in states like New York today.
The Biden administration expanded the 988 LGBTQ service in 2022, with officials arguing that “stigmatization, rejection, trauma, victimization, microaggressions, homophobia and transphobia” increase suicide risks for LGBTQ youth. Former SAMHSA Acting Director John Palmieri and Senior Advisor on LGBTQI+ Policy stated that promoting “affirming” resources would improve mental health outcomes.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre publicly directed LGBTQ-identifying children to contact the 988 hotline during an April 2023 briefing, as reported by LGBTQ Nation.
Activist Ties and Local Crisis Centers
The hotline is operated by Vibrant Emotional Health, a nonprofit that has received over $850 million in SAMHSA contracts since 2020, compared to just $32 million between 2017 and 2019. Vibrant’s funding nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, increasing from $173.4 million to $325.9 million.
The organization has emphasized identity-based initiatives in its work, including resources for Black mental health and transgender awareness campaigns. Vibrant’s Director of Equity and Belonging, Johnell Lawrence, wrote in a blog post that the organization seeks to “celebrate Trans, non-binary, queer, two-spirited and gender variant members of the Vibrant community.”
Several subcontractors now operate the LGBTQ service alongside The Trevor Project, including CommUnity, EMPACT, Solari, HopeLink, Centerstone, and Volunteers of America Western Washington. The Daily Caller News Foundation contacted several of these centers but received no response on their approach to counseling LGBTQ youth.
Centerstone, one subcontractor, acknowledged in an interview that it uses the 988 service to help LGBTQ youth “practice coming out” to their families. Kelly Bombardiere, Centerstone’s vice president of 988 services, said in June 2024 that many youth reaching out are “not out to their parents yet” and seek guidance on disclosure.
Future of the Hotline Under the Trump Administration
The Trump administration’s executive order signals a shift in federal oversight of LGBTQ-focused mental health initiatives. Critics argue that the hotline’s funding structure and activist affiliations prioritize ideology over crisis intervention. Dr. Kurt Miceli, medical director at Do No Harm, told DCNF that the focus should be on individual needs rather than identity-based services. “It’s important for us to listen and not to prejudice the dialogue before it even happens,” he said.
The 988 hotline remains mandatory on student ID cards in some states, further intensifying scrutiny of its policies as the administration considers reforms.
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