988 Crisis Line Dropped LGBTQ Support: What Parents & Allies Must Know

Today we're going to talk about the very real effects of Trump's big ugly bill and removing LGBTQ+ support from the 988 crisis line. Welcome to More Human, More Kind, the podcast helping parents of LGBTQ+ kids move from fear to fierce allyship and feel less alone and more informed so you can protect what matters, raise brave kids, and spark collective change. I'm Heather Hester. Let's get started. Here's a quick look at what you're going to get out of today's episode. You'll learn exactly what is happening with the removal of LGBTQ+ specific crisis support from 988, why it matters, and how it impacts LGBTQ+ youth. You'll get concrete next steps alternative hotlines, how to contact legislators, and how to spread awareness in your communities. And finally, I will remind you that your grief, your anger, and confusion are all valid. Welcome to More Human, More Kind. I'm Heather Hester, and I am so grateful that you are here with me today. This is a really important episode. One that may bring up some really strong feelings, feelings of frustration, grief, even disbelief. And if you're feeling any of that, any of those, or all of those, you are not alone. I am right there with you. Before we dive in, I want to acknowledge that I'm releasing this episode on the 4th of July. Independence Day here in the United States. That big, ugly monstrosity of Trump's just passed in the House moments before I sat down to record this. And to be honest, I wasn't sure I could actually do this episode at all today. I am so deeply disappointed by the cowardice of our Congress. I am heartbroken as I think about the world our children are inheriting. I'm just sad. I am fighting tears and I am horrified by the speed. It took 5 months for our government to effectively become an autocracy, an oligarchy. Our founding fathers, The reason we celebrate Independence Day. They are rolling over in their graves right now, appalled at how quickly their genius has been destroyed. I originally wanted to talk about the complicated emotions many of us are feeling about celebrating the Fourth. Just that. And I guess that the passing of this horrific bill just makes that more relevant, but exponentially more difficult. Just in case you are unfamiliar or unsure about what I'm talking about, this bill is 900 pages long. It is filled with carve-outs and giveaways for Truly just the worst of the worst people. Here's just kind of a quick top-line summary. The things that you may or may not have heard about on social media or in the media or in the newspapers or wherever. The biggest things to pay attention to right now and the biggest drivers of this bill. First of all, it will add trillions of dollars to our national debt. By some accounts, I've heard $3 trillion. I've heard $5 trillion. It's actually $5 trillion in this bill, but let's just say trillions for the sake of this conversation. Major, major tax cuts for the most wealthy Americans, billionaires, corporations, and close to a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP benefits, and other food assistance. What does this translate to? Somewhere between 15 and 17 million people will lose their healthcare and millions of children will go hungry. The rich get richer. The poor get poorer. Any historians out there want to weigh in on this? When and where has this happened before in history? Folks, this is why it's so important to learn and understand history, because it is currently right in front of our eyes in our country repeating itself. The oil, gas, and coal CEOs got together with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and worked out a deal that basically removes their restrictions and promises to destroy clean energy production for the foreseeable future. It's disgusting. It's terrifying. And if you feel devastated, like I do, if you've run out of words to describe how you're feeling or describe what this feels like to you, you're not alone. We are watching freedoms slip away from us and for so many of our communities. But here is my original message for today. And I think it still matters. We can hold all of these feelings and still celebrate Independence Day because we still have freedoms. We still have the freedom to protest, to vote, to gather, to speak out, use our voices. And we must, must, must continue to use these freedoms to push back, to protect, and then to rebuild. This is what I talk about being the tension of the opposites. And I have been sitting with this and really becoming more and more aware of this these past many, many months. And yes, with the passing of this bill, this tension has just increased a thousand times over. But I want you to know if you're feeling this and you are unsure of what that feeling is, This is it. We can feel broken and brave. We can feel angry, so angry, and purposeful, purpose-driven. We can hold the pain and still choose hope. That is the space we are in right now. And it is the space where real transformation takes place. Know that I am standing with you, beside you. And if it helps to say it out loud or to write it down, feel free to drop it all in an email to me or a voice note to me. We get through this by sticking together, by calling out what we see, by having each other's backs and speaking up for our neighbors, or our friends or our loved ones when they don't have the strength. So talking about the 988 crisis line was actually going to be my singular topic for today, but all of this other news just felt too important to skip. So here are the basic details. 988 is the National Suicide and Mental Health Crisis Hotline. In July of 2022, so 3 years ago, the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched across the United States as a federally funded resource. And it was for people experiencing mental health, substance use, or suicidal crises. And it was meant to be an additional resource in, in addition to 911. So something very specific. LGBTQ+ callers could press option 3. So you could dial 988 and then option 3 to speak with a counselor specifically trained in LGBTQ+ issues. People who understood the lived experience, the trauma, the fear, the unique challenges our young people and all LGBTQ+ people face. On June 6th, 2025, so just about a month ago, when the US Department of Health and Human Services released their full budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, it was confirmed that they plan to eliminate funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifelines specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth after September 30th, 2025. That's September 30th of this year. This was not announced in a transparent way. It wasn't rolled out with care or with thought. The plan was to keep it quiet and to have it just vanish. This erasure is not neutral. It is dangerous, and we are not going to let it happen quietly. You know why this is a big deal. LGBTQ+ youth are already at significantly higher risk for depression, anxiety, and suicide. You know the stats that according to the Trevor Project, LGBTQ+ youth are more than 4 times twice as likely to attempt suicide than their cisgender heterosexual peers. Access to affirming care, especially during a crisis, is not just critical. It is life-saving. When we remove specialized support, we don't create equality. We create erasure. We pretend that identity doesn't impact crisis care, and that is simply not true. It also sends a really chilling message. It says, you don't matter enough to be seen, to be served, or to be safe. So what can we do? We learn everything we possibly can. We speak out. We share our resources with one another. If we learn something, we share it with a friend, share it with a neighbor, share it with a loved one, and we demand better. Here are a few specific actions that we all can take today to make a difference. One, start sharing the alternative hotlines to whomever and wherever. Until we have an affirming national crisis line again, we— let's talk about the ones that we already have that already exist. The first, of course, is the Trevor Lifeline. That is 866-488-7386. As always, I will have all of this information in my show notes. So please don't worry about writing this down. You can go right there and get it from the show notes. The second one is the Trans Lifeline, 877-565-8860. And the third is QChat Space, and that's qchatspace.org. It is a live chat support for LGBTQ+ youth. The second thing you can do is to contact your representatives and demand LGBTQ+ specific crisis support will be reinstated. Write, call, email, show up. It doesn't matter. Let them know that this decision is unacceptable and that it puts lives at risk. Do it over and over and over again. And not just about 988, do it about every single issue. Yes, this big, awful, ugly bill has passed, but you can still let Congresspeople know what you think. Let them know you are watching and paying attention, that you are educating yourself and your friends and your family, that you expect them to represent you, not Trump. And 3, spread the word. Just like I said, many people don't know that this is the plan for 988 Option 3, and most people don't understand what is in this bill. Let's be clear. Most Congresspeople haven't read the entire 900-page document, but that is no excuse. Use your voice. Online, in conversations, in your parent groups to talk about it. We can't address what stays hidden. I want to acknowledge the deep grief here. I feel it. You can probably hear it in my voice, and you may feel it too. The loss of safety. The loss of the spirit our country was built upon. The loss of visibility. And with regard to 988, the re-traumatizing message that LGBTQ+ youth are not worth the extra support. But we are not powerless. Remember that. In this moment in time, we are not powerless. We are allowed to feel heartbroken and keep on building. We are allowed to grieve and keep showing up. In fact, that's how change happens. When we love deeply enough to stay in the fight, even when it hurts. All of this just stokes the fire that burns so hot in me, not just as a parent, but as a human being. And I'd love to know how it makes you feel. In addition to the resources I shared earlier, which of course, again, I will put in the show notes, I also want to remind you that my book, Parenting with Pride, includes a section on navigating crisis support and knowing what to do when your child is struggling. And of course, our Kind Space community is always here to hold space for you. Now is typically the time in an episode where I would share a listener query, but the energy of this episode and the topics we've discussed feel like they need to be held in this sacred container to be contemplated and then to be shared with others. So for today, we are skipping the listener query, but they'll be back on Tuesday. This is what I want to leave you with for today. We are living in a time when some systems are failing our kids, but we don't have to. We still have choices. We can be their refuge. We can be their advocates. We can build a world where LGBTQ+ youth don't just survive, but thrive. And even as we hold our heartbreak, we still hold power. We still have freedoms. We have the power to speak, the freedom to speak, to vote, to care, to organize, to protect. We must hold the tension of the opposites, the tension of grief and hope, of anger and love, of despair and action. Our LGBTQ+ kids need to know that they are not alone, and they are not invisible. When systems fail them, we need to show up every single time. When options disappear, we build new ones. When their safety is threatened, we become the shield. This is what freedom really looks like. Not the absence of struggle, but the choice to show up for one another anyway. It's not about just waving flags, but lifting up voices. The fierce belief that everyone deserves to be safe, affirmed, and deeply seen. And the courage to act on that belief, even when the systems don't. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday. And even with all of the chaos, all of the deeply disturbing news every day, know that there is hope. Be part of a movement that uplifts kindness and humanity, even as it holds the truths of reality. Take 2 minutes right now to rate and review this podcast. This act of kindness will help this podcast reach others who need this message, and it will help me to continue to bring you the content you love. Until next time, be gentle with yourself, be fierce in your love, and remember, We are in this together.