Editor’s note: This story includes suicide statistics that may be upsetting to some readers.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by phone or text at “988” and by chat at 988lifeline.org.
States in the Mountain West are stepping up to provide a safe place for LGBTQ+ youth to call when they are in crises.
That’s because they’ll no longer have specific services through the national 988 Suicide and Crisis hotline.
Right now, when you call the hotline, an operator tells veterans to “press one” and spanish-speakers to “press two.” Then, “For specialized support for LGBTQ+ people under the age of 25, press three.”
Option three will route the caller to a national provider, The Trevor Project, to talk to trained counselors, often with similar life experiences.
But that option is going away on July 17 amid budget cuts (services cost $33 million last year) and the Trump administration’s effort to “no longer silo LGB+ youth services” and to “focus on serving all help seekers,” according to a press release, which explicitly dropped the “T” which stands for transgender and the “Q” which stands for queer in the acronym.
This comes after 43.5% of LGBTQ+ youth considered suicide last year in the eight states that make up the Mountain West, according to a survey from The Trevor Project.
Credit: The Trevor Project
Where will calls go?
Callers who press three will now be routed to the same state call centers as the general public. That includes the Wyoming Lifeline in Greybull, one of two call centers in the state — which fielded the highest percent of calls in the nation from LGBTQ+ youth considering suicide last year (56%).
Ralph Nieder-Westermann, who leads Wyoming Lifeline, is concerned that these youth will no longer see 988 as a safe place to call.
“I'm afraid that people in need will not reach out,” Nieder-Westermann said.
Wyoming callers may not want to talk to local responders because of state rhetoric — and laws — about LGBTQ+ communities.
But Nieder-Westermann emphasized the Wyoming Lifeline is a safe place to call. He said it’s uniquely qualified to work with people who identify as LGBTQ+, as there are several staff members who identify as part of these communities.
Additionally, Nieder-Westermann said the center can handle a higher volume of calls. From August of 2023 to August of 2024, less than 4% of Wyoming callers chose the “press three” option, according to data provided by Nieder-Westermann.
How are states preparing?
Call centers in other states also are planning to pick up the slack.
Gordon Coombs, the 988 director in Colorado, said that his state’s centers were adding staff members and expanding capacity since merging with the state’s ten-digit crisis hotline.
He said, if there’s an influx of LGBTQ+ youth callers, they’ll further expand capacity in the coming months.
“We know that we need to put in place additional supports,” Coombes said. “[These services not] being available at a national level is concerning. I'm confident in how we handle all populations in Colorado, that there'll be no change.”
Nevada is also preparing for the change. Call takers are trained, or will be trained before July 17, on cultural responsiveness, which includes working with LGBTQ+ callers.
In addition, last November, the state invested nearly $50 million in a new 988 call center in the southern part of the state.
“Because of this investment, Nevada 988 will have the capacity to quickly answer an increased number of calls,” state spokesperson Jesse Stone said via email.
This comes after Nevada had the lowest answer rate in the region in May 2024 (64%), according to one study.
Since launching as a three-digit number in 2022, the 988 hotline has been criticized by some advocates for transgender people because of its partnerships with law enforcement, though providers say this is rare.
Sara Burlingame, with advocacy group Wyoming Equality, said thatshe doesn’t want to “make the perfect the enemy of the good.”
“At the end of the day, someone who's in crisis needs someone to pick up on the other end,” she said, “and let them know that their life has value, and that there's someone who's willing to sit with them and listen to them.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by CPB.
