Content Warning: This article discusses suicide. Please return to the homepage if you are not comfortable with the topic.
If you are in distress and need someone to talk to, please call 988, text HELLO to 741741, or visit the crisis hotline’s website. For LGBTQ-specific support for ages 13-24, call The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday marked the official end of a national specialized crisis service for LGBTQ+ youth. This comes after the Trump administration ordered the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 988, to end the service.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, which manages the 988 service, announced in a press release last month that it would “no longer silo LGB+ youth services … to focus on serving all help seekers.”
The release said that “everyone who contacts the 988 Lifeline will continue to receive access to skilled, caring, culturally competent crisis counselors who can help with suicidal, substance misuse, or mental health crises, or any other kind of emotional distress.”
The Hill reported that the service for LGBTQ youth had received nearly 1.3 million calls, texts and online chat messages since its launch in 2022, according to data from SAMHSA.
While other resources, like the Trevor Project — the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ young people — are still available, mental health and LGBTQ+ advocates and organizations, along with several celebrities and political leaders, have spoken out against the order to end the 988 Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services.
Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black called the decision “devastating” in a press release last month. The organization’s senior director of communications, Jackson Budinger, spoke with KXAN last month about what the changes would mean for youth.
“Since its inception and launch in 2022, the 988 LGBTQ+ youth specialized services network has served more than 1.3 million young people. We serve about a half a million young LGBTQ+ people each year,” Budinger said. “988 will still be available for generalized care … but this message is going to discourage [youth] from reaching out to 988 to begin with.”
She noted that the Trevor Project saw a 72% spike in calls following the SAMHSA announcement.
Resources for LGBTQ+ youth in Austin
The 988 hotline is still an option, but there is no longer a line dedicated for LGBTQ+ youth to connect to a counselor trained in LGBTQ-specific crisis care.
The Trevor Project has trained crisis counselors available 24/7 and can be reached by calling 866-488-7386, texting ‘START’ to 678-678, or online at trvr.org/get-help.
The LGBT National Help Center also has a National Youth Talkline available certain hours daily at 800-246-7743 as well as Moderated Youth Chatrooms.
There are also several resources in the Austin area that LGBTQ+ youth can turn to for help, listed below.
OutYouth
OutYouth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Its website states that it “serves Central Texas LGBTQIA+ (lesbian/gay/bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning, intersex, and asexual) youth and their allies with programs and services to ensure these promising young people develop into happy, healthy, successful adults.”
OutYouth has various programs for different age groups. Find more information online at OutYouth.org.
PFLAG Austin
PFLAG Austin is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is an approved chapter of PFLAG National, supporting Central Texas. The organization hosts confidential support group meetings and participates in several educational, fundraising, and political activism events throughout the year to help drive awareness and community focus, according to its website.
More information can be found online at PFLAGAustin.org.
Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT)
TENT is the largest statewide, BIPOC trans-led, trans-focused policy, education, and advocacy organization in the state of Texas, according to its website. TENT has resources for parents of transgender kids and information about education, advocacy, and empowerment for transgender youth and allies.
More information is available online at TransTexas.org.
The Q Austin
The Q Austin is a program of Vivent Health, community health clinic and resource center in Austin. The Q Austin “mobilizes LGBTQIA+ individuals to build a safe & affirming community.”
The organization has a LinkTree with several different tabs of information on things like events, Vivent Health, appointment requests and more.