LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services, known as the "Press 3 option," intended to aid young members of the LGBTQ+ community was eliminated by the Trump administration and has been made part of the broader 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
“It is sad, but it’s another example of, and we as queer people are aware of this; we have to take care of ourselves,” said Jeremy Ellis, the former director of Lexington’s Pride Festival.
The specialized hotline has helped hundreds of thousands of youths who have been struggling with their sexuality, and Jeremy fears for the safety of the LGBTQ+ community now that the lifeline has been eliminated as part of President Trump’s sweeping budget cuts.
“Having this resource on a national level, wherever they are, is very important to get to them before it’s too late,” Ellis said.
Ellis added that The Trevor Project on the national level remains a great option for the LGBTQ+ community, as is Lexington’s Pride office on a local, or regional level. But he is concerned about those living in areas where LGBTQ acceptance isn’t as prevalent.
“Definitely for more rural communities, like the one I grew up in, those are the people that need the resources of that hotline the most because they don't access to any type of community and their struggles tend to the be the hardest, they tend to be in a more conservative environment,” Ellis explained.
Other parts of The Suicide Crisis Lifeline will remain, but Ellis feels as if the Trump administration could’ve found other ways of saving money aside from eliminating the counseling resource for LGBTQ people."
“It's something we experienced in the 80s and 90s during the AIDS crisis, it's that the government is not here for us. We as a community have to come together and support each other in any way that we can,” he said.
