COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth have officially ended operations. The move was made official Thursday and comes after the Trump Administration cut its funding.
“I just thought about all of the kids who don’t have the support that they should have, who don’t have the community they need to have, and how alone they are now,” Queer therapist Amy Hauer said.
The administration says it will still fund the wider 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline – of which the LGBTQ+ youth is one part – and that all callers will receive ‘compassion and help’.
This means people contacting 988 for help will no longer have the option to ‘press three’ to reach counselors specifically trained to respond to the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.
“It isn’t just the loss of this resource, but it’s the broader sense of families and kids are under attack right now and that’s scary,” Hauer said.
The general 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline continues to assist thousands of people across central Ohio and the country, but local LGBTQ+ allies are concerned this move puts many young people at risk.
“It says, ‘hey, you’re not important to us,'” Hauer said. “And what a devastating message for anybody to say to any kid, whoever they are.”
Hauer has been a Queer therapist for close to 20 years and has a gender diverse child. She said she feels the undoing of this lifeline sends a chilling message that the LGBTQ+ community isn’t valued by the government. She’s concerned this is part of a larger pattern of erasing the very systems that help LGBTQ+ youth feel like they matter.
“A lot of the folks that I see do struggle with suicidal thoughts, who do struggle with the sense of not being wanted, not feeling like they have a place,” Hauer said.
Meantime, Netcare Access, a group that answers 988 calls for 22 counties in Ohio, said it’s committed to helping everyone in crisis.
“It’s disappointing that that isn’t continuing, but I am confident that 988 will be able to answer all the needs and provide all the support,” Carrie Wirick, Netcare Access Director of Crisis Lifelines, said. “988 is still very much here and very much we’re trained and we are compassionate to everyone.”
According to the latest data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, since July of 2022, around 16.5 million people have called, texted, or sent chats to the 988 lifeline. Of that number, nearly 1.5 million have been routed to the LGBTQ+ specialized service.
The specialized service rolled out as a pilot program in 2022 in a government contract with The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ people.
“It worked,” Wirick said. “It was helpful, but we truly believe its run its course now. The important thing is that 988 is there 24/7 no matter where you are in the United States.”
The lifeline what Mikala Eilken credits for saving her life when she had suicidal thoughts last year. As someone who has a transgender best friend and has lost her grandmother to suicide, she said she’s upset by this move.
“LGBTQ+ community is like a big part of our community,” Eilken said. “That getting taken away from them is not good. Like they need those resources to help them, especially if they’re struggling.”
According to The Trevor Project, about 40% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year. The Trevor Project’s free and confidential crisis services will still be available 24/7 for any LGBTQ+ young person by calling 1-866-488-7386. Crisis services are also available via chat clicking here or by texting START to 678678.
