Trump restores 988 LGBTQ+ youth crisis line. Asked about trans callers, HHS cites ‘gender ideology extremism’

For more than 14 months, LGBTQ+ young people seeking help through the nation’s suicide prevention lifeline could no longer choose the specialized service created for them. On Wednesday, that option returned without The Trevor Project, the organization that helped launch it.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin and The Trevor Project separately confirmed that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services, commonly known as “Press 3,” had resumed. The restoration follows a congressional directive and sustained pressure to reverse the Trump administration’s July 2025 shutdown.

The Trevor Project welcomed the return while confirming to The Advocate that its own role in the federal program had not been restored.

Related: Trump administration confirms it’s restoring LGBTQ+ youth crisis line it eliminated last year

“The Trevor Project submitted a proposal to join the restored services, but that proposal was rejected,” Zach Eisenstein, the organization’s director of communications and public engagement campaigns, wrote Wednesday evening. “Our organization is not part of the restored ‘Press 3’ line.”

The reopening restores a dedicated route to crisis support that Congress ordered the administration to bring back. Whether the new service will fully recognize the identities of the young people it is intended to help remains a question federal officials have yet to answer.

Can trans and nonbinary young people in crisis trust it?

In a Thursday morning response to The Advocate, an HHS spokesperson confirmed that the specialized service had resumed as directed by Congress. But when asked whether counselors would recognize transgender and nonbinary young people’s identities and use their chosen names and pronouns, the department reiterated its commitment to the administration’s policies.

“HHS remains fully aligned with President Trump’s Executive Orders to defend women from gender ideology extremism and restore biological truth to the federal government,” the spokesperson said.

The response did not answer whether those policies restrict counselors from affirming a young person’s gender identity. It also did not provide the requested training materials, written guidance, or names of the organizations operating the restored service.

“The 988 Lifeline gives all Americans an easy way to reach skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors 24/7 for help with a mental health, suicide, or substance use crisis,” the spokesperson said.

HHS said it could modify or remove information about the program in the future, consistent with applicable law. The department did not specify what information it meant.

Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat and the first lesbian in the U.S. Senate, who helped secure the restoration requirement, described the return as an overdue correction to a deliberate political decision.

Related: Trump admin rejects The Trevor Project from restored LGBTQ+ 988 crisis lifeline it helped build

“The Trump Administration chose to put children’s lives on the line to score some political points,” she said in a statement Wednesday. “I’ve fought tooth and nail to restore this lifesaving resource. When I realized the Trump Administration was not going to do it on their own, I wrote it into federal law to require them to restore the Press 3 option.”

Congress directed the restoration through fiscal year 2026 funding legislation. SAMHSA previously told The Advocate that lawmakers required the agency to use $33.1 million to restore the specialized services.

“This lifesaving resource never should have gone away in the first place, but I am glad the lifesaving support Press 3 provides is once again there for people who need it,” Baldwin said.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat who pushed for the restoration, welcomed the service’s return Thursday while calling for continued access. “When an LGBTQ+ young person reaches out for help in a moment of crisis, they deserve to reach a counselor trained to understand and support them,” he said in a statement. "This program should never have been taken away, and now we need to make sure it stays available for every young person who needs it."

The original service began as a pilot in September 2022, connecting LGBTQ+ young people with counselors trained to address their needs through calls, texts, and online chats. The Trump administration ended it on July 17, 2025. The broader 988 network continued operating, but the dedicated LGBTQ+ service disappeared.

By June 2025, its last full month of operation, the specialized program received nearly 70,000 calls, texts, and chats a month, according to the Government Accountability Office.

As The Advocate reported in June, the program received approximately 1.6 million contacts before its closure, about half handled by The Trevor Project. Yet the shutdown itself became an obstacle to the organization’s return. Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit administering the national network, limited applications for the restored program to active 988 providers. The Trevor Project had lost that status when the administration eliminated the specialized service it operated.

The Trevor Project submitted a proposal anyway. The Advocate reported in August that it had been rejected.

On Wednesday, Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black welcomed the restoration while signaling that the organization would scrutinize how the service operates.

Related: The Trump administration is excluding The Trevor Project from the 988 service it helped create

“We are grateful to see that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s ‘Press 3’ specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth have been restored,” Black said in a statement.

“We will monitor the launch and usage of these important services to ensure all LGBTQ+ youth are supported with clinically best standards,” they added.

Black said The Trevor Project remains committed to helping governments and institutions deliver that care.

“The Trevor Project was proud to pilot ‘Press 3’ when it first launched in 2022, and we remain ready, able, and willing to support any state, federal agency, or institution in providing LGBTQ+ young people with the comprehensive, current, and best-practice care they need and deserve,” they said.

The organization also emphasized that its own services remain available outside the federal program.

“No matter what, The Trevor Project’s own 24/7 crisis lines remain available to directly support any LGBTQ+ young person in crisis, just as they always have,” Black said.

If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.