Trump administration eliminating LGBTQ+ youth suicide hotline worries Philadelphia community

Suicide rates among LGBTQ+ youth are sobering. Three years ago, an initiative to curb those statistics was added to the national suicide hotline to provide services and support.

Today, it’s been eliminated as the Trump administration’s decision to remove the option on the hotline went into effect Thursday.

“When I was still finding myself out, I was still going through a lot of definite suicide thoughts, and a 988 was a huge resource,” said Abdul Samad, 16, a member of the Attic Youth Center in South Philly. The organization provides aid to the LGBTQ+ community, gives psychological support programs for Philadelphia residents and works to assess community needs.

According to a national survey by The Trevor Project in 2024, 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide over a year’s time.

“Whenever I felt like no one was there, I was able to talk to someone,” Samad said about the hotline.

Last month, the Trump administration ordered the removal of the LGBTQ youth option on the national suicide hotline called “Press 3.”

“Agitated” was the first word Samad used to define his reaction to the Trump administration’s decision, as he knows what it is like to rely on the resource.

Jasper Liem, the executive director of The Attic Youth Center, said that the Trump administration’s decision feels “malicious” and sends a message that it wants to “erase our community.”

“I think the message that’s being said is that we’re not here to be accepted,” Liem said. “That there are powerful forces in play, in our homeland, that don’t care that this is all harmful to who we are.”

Liem is most concerned about how this and future decisions that the Trump administration can make will impact the mental health of the LGBTQ+ community.

He cites a survey conducted by The Trevor Project, which analyzed a day of post-election conversations across crisis services for LGBTQ+ communities. In 2024, The Trevor Project “saw an overall volume increase of nearly 700% on Nov. 6” of calls to those crisis lines compared to the weeks prior.

“I think we’re gonna see even more of an increase of suicidality, of substance use, of other mental health issues,” Liem said.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, or SAMHSA, stated that the removal of the “Press 3” option on the 988 line was due to reallocation of funding and that anyone that continues to use the line will receive “compassion and help.”

SAMHSA declined WHYY News’ request for an interview.

“My fear is that someone will call 988, option three will not be available and they might be connected to someone who doesn’t really understand our experience,” Liem said.

Liem said that as a teen, it was difficult for him to work with therapists who were not specifically trained to work with LGBTQ+ youth, which led to delays in receiving appropriate care.

At the Attic Youth Center’s library, which features art created by local youth members, Samad and Autumn Getnain, 17, said the removal of the option was “disappointing.”

“The fact that they’re trying to eliminate the conversation of LGBTQ youth going through mental health issues, it’s really jarring to me how we’re trying to kind of silence that,” Getnain said.

Getnain said that using “budgeting” as the reason to remove the “Press 3” option is an “excuse to take away resources from those who really need it.”

They expressed concern for the future, specifically how this may affect LGBTQ+ youths’ mental health and the other decisions that target the community’s resources.

“Once a viable resource that they used to have is gone, they will feel like they truly have nothing,” Getnain said while occasionally adjusting her glasses.

The Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said that the hotline “provided life-saving services to more than 1.3 million LGBTQ young people will no longer be available for those who need it.”

Samad said that using other suicide hotline lines is not a viable solution because he fears that hotline operators who may not “align” with the LGBTQ+ community may cause further harm.

“I find that they’re trying to definitely eradicate us as an existence,” Samad said. “I personally think that the whole goal is to keep the minorities at gunpoint, at this point.”

“The main message I get when I see this is plain and simple, the Trump administration is saying, ‘We don’t care about you,’” Getnain said.

Despite their frustration with the recent decision, Getnain and Samad shared how they felt supported by The Attic Youth Center and the local community it provides.

“This is kind of like an in-person hotline in a way,” Samad said. “It’s a beautiful resource to have because there’s also youth like me who are definitely concerned, but in this kind of time, we also have to focus on community.”

They said they are concerned that facilities like the center could possibly be shut down, but they will both “continue to fight.”

Bryant Christie, the director of clinical services and a Philadelphia resident, said that the center is ready to provide support for youth that may need, but is “overwhelmed” by concerns coming from youth.

“I think it puts more of a demand on communities,” Christie said. “We only have so many resources.”

He said that he is encouraging all youth to stay informed and to find communities that will help navigate thoughts and feelings.

“There’s uncertainty over what their future will look like,” Christie said.

Christie is worried that some youths tend to “close in” and avoid difficult conversations due to feeling overwhelmed by the news.

Getnain compared the LGBTQ+ community to how people perceive fireflies, saying that just because they aren’t as visible in certain areas doesn’t mean they aren’t thriving in others.

“Even if America is in a state of disarray right now, and we feel like our lives are threatened and many people’s lives are being threatened, we’re still going to be here no matter what,” Getnain said.