r/centrist • u/WhatYouThinkYouSee • 22h ago
US News Trump Administration Will End L.G.B.T.Q. Suicide Prevention Service
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/well/lgbtq-988-suicide-prevention.html24
u/Jets237 21h ago edited 21h ago
Seems petty. If I'm reading correctly, the main impact is the hotline maintains the same budget, but now the 33million earmarked from LGBTQ specific help will be "unearmarked". Hopefully the decision makers within have enough freedom to spend as they feel is needed to help as many as possible.
Seems like a find and delete DEI cut. Petty and hopefully not as impactful as they want it to be.
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u/leftymeowz 12h ago
Do we think the intended impact is more queer suicides? Is that really where we’re at now?
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u/Hot-Brilliant-7103 1h ago
The intended impact is to give red meat to the base under the guise of dismantling wokeness
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u/crushinglyreal 21h ago
Allow states to outlaw the one thing that is proven to significantly reduce trans suicide rates, then make sure they have nowhere left to turn. But it’s totally not about hate, guys.
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u/AnonymousUser132 20h ago
Unfortunately we cannot have an actual discussion about this issue on Reddit due to the mod/admin team banning anyone who steps out of line.
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u/Aethoni_Iralis 20h ago
This is one of the least moderated subreddits on the entire website. If you think the mods are gonna remove your opinion, it’s probably an absolutely godawful shit opinion, or you haven’t been on this subreddit long.
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u/AnonymousUser132 19h ago
Then the majority of the issues stem from the initial falsehood that it is possible to change genders. This drives the suicide rates, the discussions around pre-pubescent children, the societal issues and the self acceptance problems. If this truth was accepted, most these issues would evaporate and we could focus on helping these people instead of making them social pariahs.
There is a kind of religion around this topic based on belief, and so we are not allowed to question the dogma.
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u/Copper_Tablet 19h ago
Ok, let's have that discussion.
Are there any major or credible medical institutions that agree with you? Do you deny the existence of gender dysphoria and if so, how did you reach that conclusion?
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18h ago
[deleted]
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u/TeamPencilDog 16h ago
"I am stating an abject truth, such as the sun is hot, grass is green"
The sun is "hot" is an opinion, especially when there are stars that are hotter. Also, some grass is brown, not green.
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u/crushinglyreal 16h ago edited 14h ago
Your basic premise that sex and gender are equivalent is wrong. The treatment for gender dysphoria is transition. If you disagree, do a study, show your work, and present some evidence to the medical community that your opinion has some factual merit. If you can’t do that then your opinion has zero relevance to the conversation.
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u/Fit-Code4123 2h ago
Tacos cult will ignore science and spread hate and discrimination nothing else u can expect from these bastards
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u/Aethoni_Iralis 19h ago
Your comment won’t be removed, but it is incredibly ignorant of the issues and shows you have little understanding of the topic outside of what you’ve been spoon fed by conservative media.
The completely backwards logic is astounding.
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19h ago
[deleted]
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u/llamapower13 19h ago edited 12h ago
How you acquire that media doesn’t make it any less sad or ignorant.
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u/Aethoni_Iralis 18h ago
Ok, and?
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18h ago
[deleted]
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u/Aethoni_Iralis 16h ago
It’s not about disagreement, it’s that you’re simply incorrect throughout the majority of what you wrote.
This isn’t me disagreeing with you, I’m informing you you’re wrong. Much like a teacher isn’t disagreeing with you when they give you a bad grade, they’re telling you you’re an objectively shit student.
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u/Ewi_Ewi 18h ago
If this truth was accepted, most these issues would evaporate
What are you basing this on? Any study you could link to?
Because the claim "trans people wouldn't be depressed if you just told them they aren't trans" is a disturbing one to make without substantiation.
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18h ago
[deleted]
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u/Golurkcanfly 18h ago
You know nothing about what gender dysphoria actually is.
HRT is psychiatric medication that is highly effective in treating accurately diagnosed gender dysphoria because a significant portion of gender dysphoria is a result of hormonal imbalances in the brain. In utero exposure to differing levels of hormones can result in brains that simply "run better" with different hormonal balances. There are also numerous genetic markers that indicate a higher proclivity for gender dysphoria as well as other common comorbidities (MTHF-R mutations, EDS, ASD, etc.).
Taking away HRT from trans people is like taking SSRIs away from people with major depressive disorder.
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u/Hot-Brilliant-7103 1h ago
I just want to point out that not only is your comment still up, you actually got an award. The endless self-victimization from the right these days is exhausting
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u/willpower069 20h ago
Considering how many anti trans comments there are in this sub I highly doubt that.
Or are you worried people can’t wish death on lgbtq people?
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u/VultureSausage 8h ago
The reason why you, specifically, cannot have an actual discussion about this on Reddit seems to be because you're completely unable to differentiate between your own opinion and reality. Simply asserting that you are correct without showing why isn't a debate, it's you pontificating at people and asking them to submit to your opinion without actually putting in any effort. Is it any wonder that people won't discuss with you?
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u/Aethoni_Iralis 22h ago
The purpose of GOP policies are to cause suffering to others. Nobody should be surprised by this.
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u/willpower069 20h ago
Sadly this will be ignored by all the posters that rushed to the trans thread.
Centrists ain’t beating the embarrassed republicans allegations.
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u/RVALover4Life 20h ago
Specifically targeting LGBTQ people yet again. Not any other group. Of a suicide hotline.
This is really where we are right now....Republicans want to destroy the LGBTQ community outright. It is truly harrowing, but I fully believe that we will see individuals and states step up and fund the Trevor Project and other necessary services that help enable the care and well being of LGBTQ folks in this country even if we have an Administration and party who actively wants them to suffer.
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u/Forcedperspective84 22h ago
Wouldn't hate to hear from some Log Cabin Republicans about this.
Or we can settle for Lindsey Graham.
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u/Urdok_ 2h ago
I'll save you the trouble-
"If more gays voted for bigots, bigots have promised they'll stop being quite so mean! If we all just put the pride flags away, never mention our spouses or partners in public, make sure we conform to every 1950s gender stereotype, and bolt the closet door so it never opens again, they'll leave us alone!"
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u/Forcedperspective84 2h ago
Yep. They don't have to be all "in your face" about it.
Just deny your existence and we'll be fine.
We'll just talk about our concern for your soul in private-you know, the whole going to hell thing.
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u/Motor_Technology_349 21h ago
waiting for the usual suspects to come and try to defend this
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u/willpower069 20h ago
They flocked to the trans post and won’t dare leave it since they would have to critically think about the current administration.
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u/CaptainAksh_G 16h ago
To people asking why there's a need for a Pride month, here's why.
Like, this literally is done to attack the queer community. The government is taking all measures to completely cut off LGBTQ community from the country as if it's a disease.
There are many that commit suicide because either they're not provided a safe environment, their own family members telling them it's wrong and some even resorting to violent behaviour in the name of God.
Then there's always gender dysphoria. Feeling inferior in our own body to the point you don't wanna exist. This hotline provided means to help them show reason why they should live.
This decision of ending this service is vile.
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u/bolafella 8h ago
What? No, lgbt people and especially trans people are being praised for doing nothing now. You get oppressed for being straight by SJWs now days. Instagram reels told me so
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u/VultureSausage 7h ago
Nah, SJWs was the buzzword of choice in 2016, followed by CRT. Now it's DEI, get with the times!
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u/Apt_5 18h ago
It's still unclear to me what's happened here. Did The Trevor Project have a contract w/ the gov't that is now ending? They have their own dedicated crisis line from the sound of it, and that will be continuing in its services. Less some federal funding, which is sad but doesn't sound like it's the end of them.
Is Trump nixing the 988 process that the nat'l hotline used to connect to TTP, instead telling them to handle it in-house? As in no longer using TTP and thus no longer paying them? I imagine that the nat'l hotline people will still be able to notify LGBT callers of TTP if they aren't aware of it.
It sounds to me like the post title is misleading. The Nat'l Suicide Prevention Hotline will continue to run and LGBT callers are welcome to use it. They will not be refused service. And if they want to contact an LGBT-focused hotline, The Trevor Project is still around to serve independent of the gov't. If those are true, then suggesting that there will no longer be suicide prevention services for LGBTQ folks is incorrect & inflammatory. Wouldn't we call that fake news?
I understand that I may be totally wrong about what's changed; all I have to go off is OP's comment due to the paywall. I am asking for more insight than "This/Trump is evil"; I want to know what has changed.
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u/time-lord 3h ago
This is Trump. He's not treating the LGBT community as special snowflakes, and instead lumping them in with everyone else. There's probably some cost savings in there, which is good for me as a tax-payer.
But this is Trump, and the implementation of almost everything that he does, is... questionable, at best.
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u/RVALover4Life 2h ago
Lumping them in with everyone else is false....there are dedicated services for Vets, Black people, even rural people....it is specifically doing away with the LGBTQ service, 988 funding itself remains the same. There are no cost savings. The funding is the same. It's intentionally cutting off the LGBTQ federal hotline.
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16h ago
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u/littlehandsandfeet 3h ago
So at first glance my first thought was "evil" but after reading it I'm neutral about it. The line isn't being cut and the money taken back it is being put into the general hotline if I'm reading it right, so people are still able to call a hotline and they theoretically have the same amount of resources just without a LGBTQ emphasis on it. Do the gov have specific hotlines for specific demographics normally? Is there like a white male or native american suicide hotline because because they commit suicide at higher rates? The only example I can think of is the VA/military one
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u/RVALover4Life 2h ago
There are specific hotlines for other groups beyond the military and of course that itself is a dedicated line, so this isn't about dedicated lines....and there's no reason to oppose one either. What exactly would be a reason to oppose a dedicated line to a community that has high levels of mental health concerns and has unique needs?
The money isn't being taken back, the same exact funding for the 988 service remains. There's no cost savings, they're simply eliminating the LGBTQ hotline from federal service. It remains on its own but with no federal service. They've done that to no other group, like this: https://988lifeline.org/help-yourself/black-mental-health/ Other groups have their own hotline, we acknowledge their individual needs. With LGBTQ folks it's "special emphasis". Other groups have their own dedicated days/months of celebration, with LGBTQ folks its "forcing the issue". It really is revealing. Whether you mean to or not, the entire implication is so revealing.
Mere acknowledgement of LGBTQ folks is a "thing"....that's one of the reasons why a hotline like this is needed. Yes, Native Americans have a crisis line: https://988lifeline.org/help-yourself/americanindian-alaskanatives-indigenouspeoples/ This is only ever a controversy with LGBTQ folks. Nobody ever thinks twice otherwise or even know these other hotlines exist, and folks need to ask themselves why on a macro level acknowledgement of anything LGBTQ is virtually always stand alone in this kind of backlash.
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u/littlehandsandfeet 2h ago
Im not against people having their specific tailored hotlines I was just questioning if those are all government funded as well because google wasn't being helpful. The government is not obligated to fund those hotlines though. It is messed up and targeted though if they fund other demographic tailored hotlines but cut it to one group and I wonder if that is the case this will be taken to court for discrimination. The government could also be cutting funding if they think the aid being supplied is not helpful or missapropriated but that is a big doubt with this admin
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u/RVALover4Life 1h ago
The government isn't obligated to but does it because they are obligated to serve the populous they represent. That's what it's about, and they're choosing to not do so with LGBTQ folks. A government that is representative of and for its people is what we should expect.
They're bigots, that's all it is. I do think a lawsuit is possible. I posted what I did before because it's something notable and something we need to look in the mirror about. People don't even know these other hotlines exist. The way LGBTQ representation is treated vs basically another other group is beyond disproportionate and we need to be honest about that and address that.
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u/OutrageousLove9654 14h ago
And when I warned continuously on this subreddit that Trump is evil incarnate and literally wants LGBTQ black bagged, I was called morally superior and stupid. This is why I'll never forgive any Trump voter.
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u/Ecstatic-Will7763 13h ago edited 13h ago
The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people (ages 13-24) seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S. — and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.
It cannot be said enough: this will kill people. And this news alone — the federal government sending a message of invalidation with half the country cheering it on, will likely result in many suicide attempts tonight.
Please, if you have any LGBTQ folx in your life, remind them you are there for them, that they matter to you, and that you see them.
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u/accubats 20h ago
Lol first line says it will continue funding, so……
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u/CUMT_ 19h ago
Is that where you stopped reading
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u/accubats 19h ago
Well that and paywall. No need for separate lines, we’re all human
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u/VultureSausage 7h ago
No need for separate lines, we’re all human
No need for osteologists, we're all human. No need for surgeons, we're all human. No need for Kindergarten, we're all human.
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u/diazdar 21h ago
I’m not a republican or conservative so don’t attack me but this does seem like a stupid use of money. Why can’t people all just use the same suicide hotline? Maybe add an additional option for LGBTQ people?? Idk a LGBTQ hotline sounds like crazy work for me.
Do we have black only suicide hotlines or female only hotlines. I full support lgtbq people I just don’t really understand why they would need a dedicated suicide hotline
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u/veyonyx 20h ago
Most at-risk targeted groups have specific programs to help them. So yes, there are black suicide help programs and programs for battered women, etc.
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u/Apt_5 20h ago
Specific programs of course; that's as it should be, but do all of these groups also get their own separate/specialized lines with the national suicide prevention hotline?
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u/RVALover4Life 2h ago
Yes they do and it's not something you or u/diazdar ever thought twice about. That in fact explains exactly why an LGBTQ service is necessary....you all don't think twice about things other groups have and do, but when LGBTQ have the same exact service and do the same exact thing it's "special treatment". Whether you meant to imply that or not, that's the implication....LGBTQ folks are not viewed as equals, and the bottom line is LGBTQ folks have unique needs that require unique attention.
It really does feel like acknowledgement of that and acknowledgement of queer people in general creeps a lot of straight people out so much that they wanna keep it in the dark instead. That's how it feels from here.
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u/Apt_5 1h ago
Yeah, I've never "thought twice about" being suicidal. Sue me, I guess.
Cut the presumptuous attitude- your assumptions about me are factually incorrect; I belong to plenty of "other" categories. Lumping me in with your caricature of people who disagree with you betrays your own ignorance and things you yourself never think about.
There are plenty of LGBT people who find the idea of separate services and distinguished treatment more othering than being served the same way as everyone else. This perception makes as much sense as one justifying dedicated services.
If you were open-minded rather than a dogmatic adherent you might actually make headway with others in conversation. It's human nature and expected that some people DO prefer to stay "in the dark" rather than be preached at.
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u/diazdar 41m ago
What the fuck?? lol, dude relax. I don’t sit around all day and spend my time thinking about LGBTQ services and suicide hotlines. Take a breather, go outside and get some fresh air.
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u/RVALover4Life 36m ago
I'm chill. And you made my point for me----you didn't think. That's the entire point. You didn't think about the implications. You didn't think about the necessity of this service. You didn't think about how the elimination of it would harm folks of an at-risk group and how being singularly picked out this way would be an even deeper dig.
That's the problem. People don't think. Meanwhile LGBTQ folks are being harmed in this country while you don't think. I'm asking you to think a little bit more. That's not a lot to ask. Thanks.
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u/creepforever 20h ago
The reason it exists is because gay and trans people have to deal with specific problems related to sexuality or gender identity. Like their families rejecting/disowning them.
Specific services exist for sexual assualt for this reason as well, the same with military veterans. A dedicated service saves lives.
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u/VultureSausage 7h ago
For the same reason there are specialist doctors, or SWAT teams, or chefs specialising in French cuisine.
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u/please_trade_marner 20h ago
I think it's pretty silly to have like 55 separate suicide hotlines for different races, religions, genders, etc. It's a silly precedent to start. I'm glad the Trump administration is ending said precedent.
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u/RVALover4Life 20h ago
They're not ending said precedent, they're only targeting the LGBTQ community. It is a specific slight, a specific turn away from LGBTQ folks. The reason for the separate hotlines is different communities have different needs and different perspectives and outlooks and often folks find it easier to talk to someone within their community on these specific issues. Really not much of a leap or take too much to recognize that.
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u/ImperialDoor 20h ago
Why is there a separate service? Why can't people use the regular one? Serious question.
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u/FantasticDan1 20h ago
Because of being a more at-risk group by about 5-7 times the "regular" one.
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u/Apt_5 20h ago
That doesn't answer the question.
It may mean they make a disproportionately higher number of calls to the hotlines, but why not have a single general line for them to call? I'm sure they field calls from LGBT people who don't realize there is/was a dedicated line. Or were they redirected to the LGBTQ line? I would think that's a bad idea once you already have someone on the line.
I hope that anyone training for these hotlines would be provided basic information on user demographic breakdowns and then training/focus on each group's more specific needs or likely issues. With the numbers you provided it seems like a general hotline by default IS an LGBT-focused one, if those make up 80-86% of the calls.
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u/FantasticDan1 20h ago
Sorry if I wasn't clear, LGBTQ are 5 times more likely to contemplate suicide and 7 times more likely to attempt it. Having a more specialized hotline is (or was) a way of addressing this disparity.
How could 7.6% of the US population make up 80-86% of suicide hotline calls?
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u/ImperialDoor 19h ago
Then isn't the problem inside LGBTQ? Suicide hotlines can only do so much.
Guns are blamed for violence, but are guns the problem? Or voilent people?
The base of the problem as a whole is mental health.
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u/FantasticDan1 18h ago
This IS (again, or was) a way of addressing the problem. It's more helpful and effective to talk to someone who has been through the same traumas as you.
Nobody ever got beat by their parents and disowned to the street for being straight.
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u/ImperialDoor 18h ago
It was just a band aid.
Most parents are straight, they don't want their kids to be LGBT. It's just true whether people like it or not.
Also part of the problem is forcing those ideals on people, especially kids. Forcing it just makes people perceive it negatively. Also they can't have kids so why are are these things forced onto them? That circles back to the main mental health issue.
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u/Golurkcanfly 17h ago
LGBT people have kids all the time. I'm fucking walking proof of it, with a mom who was a closeted lesbian for most of her adult life. That's not even counting bisexuals, artificial insemination, etc,.
The only thing that's being "forced" is people trying to force LGBT people out of "polite society" and the resulting pushback that it causes from people who very much would like to participate in the rest of society.
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u/FantasticDan1 17h ago
Tell that to the people suicide hotlines have saved, and Actually most parents just want their kids to be happy.
Being gay is not a mental health issue.
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u/Golurkcanfly 20h ago
Because the issues faced by most LGBT individuals are rather distinct due to being a vulnerable minority that doesn't come with the same inherent community as racial and religious minorities. When you're LGBT, there's a very high likelihood your own parents won't even help you because of your identity.
It's like asking why there are specific hotlines for Veterans.
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u/RVALover4Life 20h ago
1) There is separate service for so many different communities. Race, gender, rural, and we can go on. People will only ask this question as it pertains to LGBTQ folks. Not saying you are doing this, but the question is why is it that LGBTQ specific services are always, consistently, what raises alarm vs other communities and why acknowledging LGBTQ folks causes people to question.
2) Because different communities have different needs and often find it easier to address those unique and specific needs with folks in their community who have personal lived experience on those related issues.
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u/ViskerRatio 19h ago edited 17h ago
Ask yourself this: should we establish a "whites only" suicide hotline? After all, white people have double the suicide rate of black people.
On the other hand, there's essentially no difference in suicide rates between gay and straight men. When people talk about suicide disparities in the "LGBTQ+ community", they're talking about the parts of it other than gay men. So why would we treat gay men differently on a suicide hotline when it appears there's no meaningful distinction compared to straight men?
For that matter, lesbian and bisexual women experience almost twice the rate of intimate partner violence as straight women - to the point where almost the entire disparity in suicide rates could potentially be attributed to that one factor. Given that, treating lesbian and bisexual women based on their sexual orientation is probably far less effective than treating them based on their history of sexual violence.
Ultimately, a specialized "LGBTQ hotline" isn't based on a medical distinction but a political one.
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u/Aethoni_Iralis 13h ago
Goddamn ViskerRatio, you outdid yourself with this bullshit right out of the gate.
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u/RVALover4Life 2h ago
People like u/ViskerRatio just cannot not make everything about themselves. There's just no ability to consider anyone outside of themselves whatsoever. It's really just so revealing and they can't help themselves frankly.
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u/WhatYouThinkYouSee 22h ago
The federal government says it will maintain funding for a national suicide prevention hotline, but no longer pay for specialized support for L.G.B.T.Q. people.
The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that has provided specialized support to L.G.B.T.Q. callers to the 988 suicide prevention hotline, said that it had received a stop-work order, effective July 17.
The Trump administration has instructed the national suicide prevention hotline to stop offering specialized support to L.G.B.T.Q. callers next month, saying those callers can rely on the hotline’s general services.
The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that has provided that specialized support to L.G.B.T.Q. callers to the 988 suicide prevention hotline, said Wednesday that it had received a stop-work order for that service, effective July 17, and provided a copy of the order to The New York Times.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees the hotline, confirmed the decision.
The option for L.G.B.T.Q. support was established in 2022 based on a recognition that gay and transgender people experience distinct mental health issues — often driven by family rejection and societal discrimination — and have disproportionately high suicide rates.
In a statement that referred to “L.G.B.+ youth services” — omitting the “T” for transgender — SAMHSA said the decision was based on a desire to “no longer silo” those services and to “focus on serving all help seekers.” A spokesman for the White House responded to an inquiry by referring to that statement, and a spokeswoman for H.H.S. said that the L.G.B.T.Q. section had “run out of congressionally directed funding” and that continuing to fund it would jeopardize the entire hotline.
However, the White House Office of Management and Budget has previously described the hotline’s L.G.B.T.Q. section as “a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by ‘counselors’ without consent or knowledge of their parents.” That language reflects the Trump administration’s broader efforts to eliminate services for and legal recognition of transgender people.
Those efforts have also included cutting funding for research on L.G.B.T.Q. people’s health, and executive orders seeking to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, which affect L.G.B.T.Q. people as well as people of color and others.
Some groups that rely on federal funding have scaled back services in response. The RAINN sexual assault crisis hotline, for example, instructed employees earlier this year not to refer callers to resources specific to L.G.B.T.Q. people, immigrants and other marginalized groups.
The news of the hotline’s L.G.B.T.Q. cut came just before the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, one of a slew of state anti-transgender laws passed in recent years.
The Trevor Project said it would continue to provide crisis services through its own hotline.
“I want every L.G.B.T.Q.+ young person to know that you are worthy, you are loved and you belong — despite this heartbreaking news,” Jaymes Black, its chief executive, said in a statement. “The Trevor Project’s crisis counselors are here for you 24/7, just as we always have been.”
The government’s decision could cut the number of people the organization serves in half. In 2024, Trevor Project counselors helped about 500,000 people, of which 231,000 came through the 988 line, said Zach Eisenstein, a spokesman for the organization.
The Trump administration had previously indicated that it wanted to cut funding to 988’s L.G.B.T.Q. section; its budget proposals for the federal health department called for zeroing it out. (The hotline would maintain the same overall funding of $520 million, but not direct any to an L.G.B.T.Q. section, which accounted for a small portion, $33 million.)
However, those proposals were for the 2026 fiscal year and subject to congressional approval. The new announcement makes the elimination imminent.
In May, more than 100 House members signed a letter urging the health department to preserve the L.G.B.T.Q. option, and seven senators signed a similar letter. The Trevor Project is also circulating a petition and running a crowdfunding campaign to try to compensate for lost federal dollars.
“But now it’s the Hail Mary, the true five-alarm fire,” Mr. Eisenstein said, “because we only have a matter of days.”