NORFOLK, Va. — The music was flowing at Towne Point Park in Norfolk Saturday for Pride Fest, and so were the opinions about the news that getting mental health help may soon be more challenging for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Trump Administration announced June 17 the special service for members of the LGBTQ+ community provided by the 988 mental health crisis line will end.
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“As someone who has a lot of mental health problems and it’s genetic, it shouldn’t matter what your sexual orientation is. Everybody deserves help, especially people going through gender dysphoria which is a mental health issue. They all deserve the same equal rights and help as anybody else," said fetsival attendee B Schmechel.
According to a statement from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, the decision to end what’s commonly referred to as the “press three” option is being made to focus on serving all help seekers. The statement also notes all of the money allocated for the option has been spent.
On July 17, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer silo LGB+ youth services, also known as the “Press 3 option,” to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.
The Press 3 option was established as a pilot program in Fiscal Year 2022 under a government agreement with a third party. The Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus included a Congressional directive for $29.7 million to fund the specialized services. Federal funding in FY24 for the Press 3 services increased to $33 million. As of June 2025, more than $33 million in funds have been spent to support the subnetworks, fully expending the monies allocated for 988 Lifeline LGB+ subnetwork services.
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. Anyone who calls the Lifeline will continue to receive compassion and help.
While the LGBTQ+ service is ending, the 988 hotline itself will still be available.
Pride Fest attendee Orion Posey tells News 3 he feels ending the service is "another drop in the tsunami" of what he calls egregious human rights violations by the Trump Administration.
“I guess it’s another thing to keep track of and to try and reverse," Posey said.
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According to federal data, as of June 2025 more than 14.5 million people had used the 988 number since it was created in 2022. A little over 1 million of them had been routed to the LGBTQ+ service.
“A lot of the members of the LGBTQ+ community are particularly vulnerable when it comes to lack of support systems. So having another avenue of potential support being eliminated like that, it does mater. It really does matter," Posey emphasized.
A 2024 survey from the CDC found 26 percent of transgender and gender-questioning high school students, specifically, attempted suicide in the previous year. That’s compared to five percent of male students and 11 percent of female students who were not transgender or gender-questioning.
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“It’s not worth it to end your life, because everybody deserves to live. Just because your resources were taken away doesn't mean you still don’t deserve to fight for your life," Schmechel said. "It’s going to be a lot harder, but even if you have to go back to, maybe, just a regular psychologist. Sometimes, maybe that might be the right step. I've had to do that.”
As of June 21, the LGBTQ+ service was scheduled to end July 17.
