Fitzpatrick Leads Bipartisan Push to Safeguard LGBTQ+ Youth Crisis Services with 988 Access Act

Washington, DC-Today, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1), introduced the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation to ensure dedicated, trained support remains available to LGBTQ+ youth who contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to maintain specialized services and to reserve no less than 9 percent of 988 Lifeline funds each year to sustain and strengthen those services. The bill is co-led by Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Sharice Davids (D-KS), and Seth Moulton (D-MA), with Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introducing the companion legislation in the Senate.

"Every young person in crisis deserves to hear a voice on the other end of the line-one that is trained and equipped to save their life," said Fitzpatrick. "Nearly 1.3 million LGBTQ+ youth have already turned to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's 'Press 3' option. That tells us two things: the need is staggering, and the service is working. Behind every call is a child fighting to survive, and having trained, affirming support on the other end of the line can mean the difference between despair and hope. This bill ensures no call goes unanswered and no child is left without support. As Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Task Force, I've fought to expand 988 and strengthen youth mental health services. Now is the time to build on that progress-not walk it back."

"America's youth mental health crisis is real, and LGBTQ+ young people are at significantly higher risk," Krishnamoorthi said. "The 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline must always meet them with affirming, specialized care, not busy signals or generic referrals. Our bill locks in the trained counselors and resources these teens need in the darkest moments of their lives, so a text, call, or chat to 988 reaches someone who understands and can help. This is about saving lives, and it should remain above politics."

"Growing up can be challenging, and for LGBTQ+ youth, those challenges can feel overwhelming," said Davids. "That's why I'm proud to join my colleagues from both parties to introduce this bipartisan bill that ensures every young person has access to the 988 suicide crisis hotline. Mental health support saves lives, and we must make sure trained counselors are always there for LGBTQ+ youth when they need help most."

"Every young person in crisis deserves to know that when they reach out for help, someone will be there to answer. We must ensure that the 988 Lifeline continues to be a critical resource for folks in New York and across the country. I'm proud to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure it's there for every American who needs it," said Lawler.

"I led the fight to create the 988 hotline because I knew it would save lives- and it has," said Moulton. "More than 2,000 LGBTQ+ young people used the 'Press 3' option each day to get in touch with someone who understood what they were going through, and more than 1.5 million youth in crisis have received life-saving care since the lifeline started. That's what makes the reckless decision to eliminate the 'Press 3' option so cruel and dumbfounding. Now, through the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act, we are acting to guarantee the 'Press 3' option into law. No president, no administration, and no political agenda should ever be able to take it away again."

Why it matters:

1. Approximately 45 percent of high school students who seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021 identified as LGBTQ+.
2. Since its launch, the 988 LGBTQ+ specialized services have handled over 1.5 million calls, texts, and chats-averaging ~2,200 contacts per day as of May 2025.
3. Specialized lines staffed by counselors trained on LGBTQ+ youth challenges deliver safer, more effective crisis response.

What the bill does:

1. Protects and sustains specialized services: Directs HHS to maintain and operate LGBTQ+ youth specialized services within 988, including the Press 3/IVR path to affirming counselors.
2. Sets a funding floor: Requires HHS to reserve at least 9 percent of 988 resources annually for these services, ensuring reliable capacity and continuity.

Support From Advocates

"LGBTQ+ youth experience significant health and behavioral health disparities, including elevated rates of suicide attempts, with 39% reporting in 2024 that they had seriously considered suicide in the past year," Laurel Stine, J.D., M.A., Executive Vice President and Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said. "Research shows that culturally competent care-support that understands and affirms LGBTQ+ identities-can be life-saving. Before the 988 LGBTQ+ line was shut down on July 17, more than 1.5 million calls, texts, and chats were routed to specially trained counselors. AFSP thanks Representatives Krishnamoorthi, Lawler, Davids, Fitzpatrick, and Moulton, and Senators Baldwin and Murkowski, for introducing bipartisan legislation to restore these specialized services. We urge Congress to act quickly to pass this vital bill and ensure LGBTQ+ youth in crisis have access to the care they need."

"Two months ago today, the administration eliminated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's 'Press 3' LGBTQ+ youth specialized services - a devastating blow that cut life-saving resources for more than 1.5 million young LGBTQ+ Americans who relied on them," Trevor Project's CEO, Jaymes Black said. "Given that LGBTQ+ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers, the need for these services remains pressing. At The Trevor Project, we are doing everything we can to fill the gaps in crisis care caused by the 'Press 3' shutdown. We are immensely grateful to the members of Congress - both Republicans and Democrats - who are calling to restore this vital suicide prevention funding through new legislation. This is not about politics, or identity; this is about doing what is best to support our country's highest risk populations - and save young people's lives nationwide."

"LGBTQ+ youth are facing a mental health crisis at a scale we can't ignore. Nearly 40% have seriously considered suicide, according to The Trevor Project, and far too many are unable to access the care they need. In 2024 alone, almost half of LGBTQ+ young people who sought mental health support couldn't, often because of barriers at home or in their schools," GLSEN's Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers said. "The launch of the LGBTQ+ option on the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline was a major step forward. It's a service that has already made a difference, and one we can't afford to lose. The bipartisan 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act of 2025 will ensure that this specialized service remains available and fully funded for the LGBTQI+ community. By codifying 'Option 3' into law, this bill sends a clear message: our LGBTQ+ youth matter, and they deserve support, safety, and someone to turn to in their darkest moments. We're proud to see leaders on both sides of the aisle standing up for their lives."

"It comes down to one simple truth: 988 saves lives-especially for those who are most vulnerable," David Stacy, Vice President of Government Affairs, Human Rights Campaign, said. "The evidence is clear and overwhelming, yet this administration has cruelly ripped away this vital lifeline. We are proud that leaders from both parties recognize the importance of 988, what it represents, and the lives it changes. Their support helps us ensure that every person has the chance to live their full American dream."

"LGBTQ+ youth face disproportionately high rates of suicide and suicidal thoughts, making access to specialized suicide prevention and support essential," Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), said. "We have to do everything we can to save young people's lives. The 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act dedicates critical resources to maintain and strengthen the specialized LGBTQ+ services within the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. NAMI is proud to support this lifesaving legislation."

The legislation is supported by the Trevor Project, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Alliance for Mental Illness, GLSEN, and the Human Rights Campaign.

The full text of the bill is available here.

Background
Congressman Fitzpatrick has made crisis response and suicide prevention a cornerstone of his bipartisan work in Congress. As Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Task Force, he authored the 988 Implementation Act, equipping states with the funding and technical support to build and sustain the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline nationwide.

In June 2025, Fitzpatrick pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to safeguard the Lifeline's specialized LGBTQ+ youth services, warning that losing them would undermine national suicide-prevention efforts. Since its launch in 2022, the Lifeline's "Press 3" option has already connected nearly 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people to trained, identity-affirming counselors.

By pairing bipartisan legislation with vigilant oversight, Fitzpatrick is driving a comprehensive strategy to expand critical access, protect vulnerable populations, and ensure no call for help goes unanswered.

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