LGBTQ Agenda: Congressmembers, senators ask RFK Jr. to continue funding services for queer callers to suicide hotline

Over one hundred members of Congress signed a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging the administration not to end specialized services for LGBTQ youth who call 988, the national suicide hotline. A similar separate May 7 letter to Kennedy from seven U.S. senators was led by lesbian U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), her office stated in a news release.

The national 988 crisis line was designated by 2020 legislation passed by Congress and signed into law during President Donald Trump’s first term, as the Bay Area Reporter reported at the time. Specialized services for LGBTQ youth can be accessed by dialing 988, then pressing 3. Callers will be connected to an LGBTQ-trained counselor, according to 988’s website.

The letter from members of Congress noted the importance of the specialized service for queer youth.

“Ending this mental health support for youth in distress would devastate a vital resource for some of our nation’s most vulnerable young people,” the letter stated. “This shortsighted and dangerous plan undermines 988’s ability to provide tailored support for a population with a higher risk of suicide and will have lethal consequences if enacted.  Surely you can agree that every American deserves the resources necessary to prevent suicide and self-injury, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Signatories included Democratic Congressmembers Lateefah Simon (Oakland) and Kevin Mullin (San Mateo), both straight allies. 

The senators’ letter made similar points. It noted that the LGBTQ+ youth specialized services pilot program was created in fiscal year 2022 to provide services to LGBTQ+ youth, who are at a disproportionately high risk for depression, suicidal ideation, and attempted suicide compared to other youths.

The Trevor Project, a West Hollywood-based LGBTQ youth suicide prevention organization, was heavily involved in lobbying for the legislation several years ago. It was introduced by Senators Cory Gardner (R-Colorado), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), and Baldwin, who is the first out person elected to the U.S. Senate. It was the first specifically LGBTQ-inclusive bill to pass both houses of Congress unanimously.

It requires LGBTQ cultural competency training for all lifeline counselors. LGBTQ youth are four times as likely to attempt suicide, according to The Trevor Project.

Jaymes Black, a genderqueer person who is CEO of The Trevor Project, expressed that, “Research continues to show that LGBTQ+ young people experience unique mental health challenges and increased suicide risk.”
Supporters of the program became alarmed last month. An internal HHS document leaked to the Washington Post in April shows the department is at least considering eliminating the specialized services for queer youth who call 988. As this column reported earlier, the same document showed cuts to the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative – also started during the first Trump administration – that ended up not in the White House’s skinny budget proposal announced May 2. This has led to uncertainty among advocates over whether the ambitious plan to end AIDS in America by the end of the 2020s. 

HIV/AIDS advocates are nonetheless disheartened by cuts to HIV services, with Carl Schmid, a gay man who is the executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, calling it “pretty bad.”

The 988 hotline is not referenced in the skinny budget, either.

The congressional letter noted that the specialized LGBTQ service of the 988 line is frequently used by callers.

“The 988 hotline for LGBTQ+ youth has recently received an average of 2,100 contacts per day and, since 2022, it has received over 1.3 million calls, text, and chats,” the congressmembers write. “Mental health crises do not recognize partisan differences, and this is why support for 988 and its specialized services has always been firmly bipartisan. … 

“The specialized services it is able to provide to individuals with a higher risk of suicidality, such as LGBTQ+ youth and veterans, are especially vital to provide high-risk groups with custom support,” the letter stated. “Consideration of cutting off this life-saving resource to vulnerable youth and young adults goes against best practices in suicide prevention. We urge that you scrap this ill-advised plan. Our nation’s children deserve nothing less.”

An HHS spokesperson told the B.A.R. that all 988 services are available and there have been no changes to services offered. The spokesperson explained that the 988 Lifeline offers 24/7 call, text, and chat access to skilled, caring crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress.

The White House didn’t return a request for comment.

Black stated, “988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services adhere to clinical best practices to prevent suicide among this marginalized population, and provides research-backed crisis services from highly trained counselors. Thank you to these senators for recognizing the life-saving power of continuing to fund these programs, which was passed into law with strong bipartisan support.”

Jorge Reyes Salinas, a gay man who is a spokesperson for Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ civil rights advocacy organization, stated that the organization is “deeply alarmed” by the possibility of the LGBTQ specialized services being cut.

“This move threatens the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth, who are already at a significantly higher risk for suicide compared to their peers,” he stated to the B.A.R., referring to possible specialized services on the national 988 line. “The need for accessible mental health services has only grown as LGBTQ+ youth face relentless political attacks from this very administration. To now strip away one of the few affirming resources they can turn to is not just cruel – it’s calculated. Equality California stands with LGBTQ+ youth and will continue to fight for their right to access life-saving care.”

If you are experiencing a crisis, call the national crisis line at 988 (LGBTQ youth can press 3 to be connected to an LGBTQ-trained counselor). People can also visit The Trevor Project.

LGBTQ Agenda is an online column that appears weekly. Got a tip on queer news? Contact John Ferrannini at [email protected]

Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the column will return Tuesday, June 3.