Trump reopened an LGBTQ+ suicide hotline. But the department that runs it vows to ‘restore biological truth’

The federal government has brought back a specialized crisis-line option for LGBTQ+ people, though the agency running it has left key questions unanswered. Callers to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline who pressed 3 once reached counselors trained for queer youth, and that track handled more than 1. 5 million calls, texts and chats before the Trump administration ended it in July 2025. Officials at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration pointed to money; critics saw politics. Congress later approved more than $33 million for services aimed at queer youth, including this line, and it is operating again, according to The Guardian.

How it now works is unclear. The Department of Health and Human Services did not answer the Guardian's repeated questions about policy changes, but a spokesperson said the department stays aligned with executive orders on "gender ideology extremism" and restoring biological truth. When the Guardian tested the chat, the counselor responded in an affirming way.

Senator Tammy Baldwin, who wrote the law creating the lifeline, said the administration was forced to follow the law and promised to keep defending it.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →