Bipartisan bill seeks to reinstate national suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth

September 17, 2025

Senators Tammy Baldwin (D) and Lisa Murkowski (R) introduced a bipartisan bill to restore national emergency suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ youth that were eliminated by the Trump administration in July. The legislation would modify the Public Health Service Act to reinstate these specialized services and require the Health and Human Services Secretary to maintain them. According to the Trevor Project, over 1.

Who is affected

LGBTQ+ youth in crisis
The 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth who seriously consider suicide each year
Young Americans seeking specialized LGBTQ+ services through the 988 hotline
Millions of people in mental health crises who use the 988 lifeline

What action is being taken

Senators Baldwin and Murkowski are introducing a bipartisan bill to reinstate LGBTQ+ services in the 988 hotline
The bill is moving to committee
The Trevor Project is operating their own crisis hotlines for LGBTQ+ youth

Why it matters

LGBTQ+ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers
Nearly 1.5 million calls, texts, and chats to the 988 hotline have come from young Americans seeking specialized LGBTQ+ services
The 988 lifeline "saves lives, plain and simple" according to Senator Baldwin
Calls to the Trevor Project's crisis hotlines spiked by 700 percent after Trump's election victory
LGBTQ+ youth face high rates of bullying, assault, and discrimination

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The 19th