The national suicide prevention hotline will no longer offer specialized support to LGBTQIA+ people, starting July 17, the Trump administration announced last week.

Dialing the hotline at 988 will still be available for crisis support. But callers will no longer be able to reach specific LGBTQIA+ services by pressing Option 3. The change worries advocates because their data shows the LGBTQIA+ community has a disproportionally high suicide rate.

Even after the option ends, here’s how to receive tailored support if you’re in Maryland.

Calling 988 is still an option

Some specialized support is still available through calling 988 in Maryland, even without Option 3.

That’s because when you call the national hotline, you’re automatically routed to a state service center. And Maryland is further ahead than many other states, said Adrienne Breidenstine, vice president of policy and communications at Behavioral Health System Baltimore.

A network of eight 988 call centers throughout Maryland are well prepared to support the LGBTQIA+ community, she said. Operators have received specific training and will be able to provide direct support, Breidenstine said, or connect callers to local and national resources.

“We have been preparing for this,” Breidenstine said. Even though the Press 3 option “is going away, we are still here for you.”

National organizations can help

Until the announced change, calling 988 had also connected interested callers through Option 3 with The Trevor Project, a leading organization that works to prevent LGBTQIA+ youth suicide.

The organization operates independently of the national hotline and has its own phone, text and social media chat options for those interested. The Trevor Project‘s free and confidential suicide prevention services operate around the clock.

However, Tanner Mobley, a Baltimore-based advocacy manager for The Trevor Project, said that the organization anticipates that its resources will be newly strained after the end of Option 3, with more people likely contacting them directly. The previous system routed calls to the Trevor Project as well as other service providers.

In 2024, the organization’s annual report found that 40% of Maryland’s LGBTQIA+ young people seriously considered suicide, Mobley said. One in every ten of all LGBTQIA+ youth in Maryland attempted suicide, according to the organization.

The Trans Lifeline is another national crisis support resource specifically dedicated to supporting trans, nonbinary and “questioning peers” that operates throughout the workweek. Before the change by the Trump administration, it too had received 988 callers who pressed Option 3.

Some advocacy organizations also expressed concerns they’ll now have to serve more clients with fewer resources. The Trevor Project, which said it’s at risk of losing $25 million in federal funds, has not yet received a direct budget cut. The Trump administration’s proposed 2026 budget outlines cutting funding for organizations providing crisis support to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Don’t forget about local options

The Pride Center of Maryland, the largest LGBTQIA+ resource center in the state, is in the process of developing what it calls a “warm line” as opposed to a hotline to fill in the gap from losing the option through 988.

The line will be another, albeit more limited crisis support option once it’s running, said Cleo Manago, chief executive officer at the center. It will only operate on weekdays.

Other groups in Maryland are equipped to help both before and after LGBTQIA+ people are experiencing a moment of crisis, offering more long-term support. Crisis lines can refer people to Free State Justice, which offers free legal and social services, and Chase Brexton Health Care, which provides outpatient therapy.

“The vast majority of our work is being the ‘warm’ handoff,” said Maryland state Del. Kris Fair, a Democrat who represents part of Frederick County, of his role in connecting people to crisis support. Fair, who also runs The Frederick Center, another LGBTQIA+ services organization, said it will be more difficult without 988 because now advocacy organization will have to work to ensure people know help is still available.

“It’s creating a lot of unnecessary anxiety and a lot of unnecessary fear,” Fair said. “And causing a lot of organizations to pick up the pieces the federal government is leaving behind.”