‘Folks are really scared’: Suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth could be defunded

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Local advocates for the LGBTQ+ community are expressing concern as the future of services remains unclear.

According to a leaked document, the Trump istration is considering eliminating the 988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline’s specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth.

The proposal is an effort to slash federal health spending.

James Moran with Our Spot KC, a local organization dedicated to providing ive services, strongly disagrees with the proposal.

“I think that’s definitely the wrong move to make,” Moran said.

He fears eliminating funding could be a life-or-death situation.

“There are some folks who are really scared. They see a pattern of laws and policies that are coming into place and worry that is going to impact their ability to access to care or services.” He went on to say, “That could lead to some terrifying outcomes.”

More than 14.5 million people have used the 988 Lifeline since 2022, according to the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services istration.

Of that number, about 1.2 million were routed to the LGBTQ+ service.

“Unfortunately, we know that suicide risks amongst LGBTQ+ youth are something like four times higher than their straight peers,” according to the Trevor Project. “So, this is definitely the wrong time for something like that to happen.”

If the budget draft goes into effect, defunding special services could happen in October.

CommCARE, which provides a multilingual, confidential, 24-hour mental health crisis hotline for Missourians, responded to the possible cuts promising Missourians needing specialized help will not be left in the cold.

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