They close our line, but they can’t sever our echoes. Queer hearts pulse — outraged, resilient, unbroken.
July 17, 2025: A Date to Remember
On July 17, 2025, the Trump administration will dismantle the “Press 3” LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention service on the 988 Lifeline—an expert-trained lifeline that supported roughly 1.3 million queer youth since 2022.
The decision rides on the false pretense of stopping “radical gender ideology” in counselor rooms—political theater at its cruelest.
Their Words, Our Wound
White House officials smear lifesaving care as “encouraging children to embrace radical gender ideology … without parental consent,” even as youth face life or death in isolation . This is violence cloaked in bureaucracy.
Jaymes Black Speaks: Incomprehensible Violence
Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, calls the decision “devastating and heartbroken.” “The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence‑based service that has effectively supported a high‑risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible,” she said.
The Statistics That Haunt Us
- Lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens are over four times more likely to attempt suicide than their cis peers.
- Transgender youth see attempt rates near 40%.
- Half of Trevor Project’s roughly 500,000 crisis contacts last year came via 988’s Press 3 option .
Queer Reflection: Why It Matters Now
Queer reflection isn’t navel-gazing—it’s survival. It’s how we witness each other, testify to our existence, and build lifelines beyond broken systems. As a community, we hold mirrors to our wounds and carve out meaning in mourning. When a government silences our safe spaces, our shared reflections become acts of defiance.
Call to Action: Actively Alive
In the face of erasure, let’s respond with creation:
- Amplify Black’s voice—share her words and demand reintegration of Press 3.
- Donate now to The Trevor Project, Trans Lifeline, and community helplines.
- Reflect publicly—write your story, share your queer reflection as resistance.
- Lobby elected officials—tell them queer youth deserve specialized support, not political targeting.
We hold each other’s reflections so no one fades in the dark. They may cut our lines, but they cannot smother our light.
