Individuals who call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US will no longer be able to access the LGBTQ+ focused “press 3” option, which offers support from LGBTQI+ trained counsellors for those up to the age of 25, from July 17. The news was shared in a statement by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on Tuesday.
SAMHSA insisted in the statement that “Everyone who contacts the 988 Lifeline will continue to receive access to skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counsellors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress.”
However, they purposefully excluded the “T” and “Q” of the LGBTQ+ acronym from their statement, stating they will “no longer silo LGB+ youth services, to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.”
In a statement to Gay Star News, the UK-based crisis line Samaritans called the possible consequences of the decision “disastrous.”
“People in the LGBTQ+ community are sadly at a higher risk of suicide and therefore it is vital that there is support available to them. Last year Samaritans volunteers responded to over 50,000 calls which mentioned gender or sexuality and it’s unthinkable that a similar source of support could be taken away from other communities around the globe at a time when more support is urgently needed,” said Hayley Peters, Head of Culture & Inclusion at Samaritans.
The Samaritans statement echoes that made by the US-based charity Trevor Project, who offer an LGBTQ+ focused support line and were the original collaborators on the 988 Press 3 option with SAMHSA.
“The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible,” said Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black in a statement.
“I want every LGBTQ+ young person to know that you are worthy, you are loved, and you belong — despite this heartbreaking news,” they added.
Responding to a request for comment from NBC News, Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the proposed budget wouldn’t “grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by ‘counselors’ without consent or knowledge of their parents.”
Support is still available in the UK from the Samaritans at 116 123, and in the US from the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.
