In defiance of the Trump Administration, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a pilot program that would reinstate specialized LGBTQ+ counselors cut by the feds for county callers to the national 988 crisis support and suicide prevention hotline, after board members expressed concerns the cuts may cost lives.
By a 4-0 vote, the board voted on Tuesday, Dec. 9 to recreate the Press 3 Option of the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline eliminated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on July 17, which places an emphasis on over-the-phone counseling for young, LGBTQ+ callers.
The board also voted to throw its support behind two similar bills. A state bill by Assemblymember Mark González, D-Los Angeles, would reinstate the option of talking with 988 LGBTQ+ counselors statewide. Bi-partisan legislation in Congress would return 988’s Press 3 Option for the entire country.
In a rally outside the Hall of Administration, Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath, co-authors of the motions, said the county will try to fill the gap left by the Trump cuts, saying not having expertly trained counselors who have experience and knowledge aligned with distressed LGBTQ+ callers jeopardizes the safety of 700,000 LGBTQ+ county residents.
“This shouldn’t be a partisan issue,” said Hahn, who represents the Fourth Supervisorial District in the South Bay and Southeast L.A. County. “L.A. County will not turn its back on our LGBTQ+ young people,” she said. “Not now. Not ever. We will work to get this lifeline restored.”
She later said that the county’s pilot program will need approval by SAMHSA, in order to move callers from L.A. County who press “Option 3” to reach specially trained LGBTQ+ counselors. She said the county will cover the cost of the program and no federal funding is needed. Hahn said the state of Washington has added a Press 4 option for Indigenous people and that was approved by the federal agency.
Horvath, who represents the Third Supervisorial District that includes the Westside, the San Fernando Valley and West Hollywood — an LGBTQ+ enclave that hosts Pride parades and includes several gay bars — shot back at the Trump Administration.
“Imagine that an administration who claims to care about safety declaring an end to something that actually protects and preserves lives. This is absurd,” Horvath told about 100 supporters gathered on the steps of the county headquarters. She said the elimination of specialized counselors who serve the LGBTQ+ community denies them and their families “a tool they can use to bring that expertise right into their homes.”
As cuts were announced in June, SAMHSA justified the elimination by saying the special option for LGBTQ+ youth puts them in a silo that is not appropriate. The agency said the decision was made to “no longer silo” the services and “to focus on serving all help-seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option.”
On its website, SAMHSA said the elimination of the option will not harm LGBTQ+ callers.
“The Press 3 option has run out of Congressionally directed funding,” said an unnamed U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson in an emailed response in July. The response went on to say as of June 2025, $33 million in funds were spent on the Press 3 option. The option began in March 2023 and was part of an expansion of the 988 hotline.
The HHS response said Congress had exhausted the funds it once directed for the “LGB+ subnetwork services,” implying it was a budgetary decision, not a policy directive.
That option has provided help to 1.5 million LGBTQ+ youth up to age 25, according to the nonprofit working the phones. The Trevor Project provides 50% of the LGBTQ+ specialized contact volume. In 2024, it directly served more than 231,000 crisis contacts, the group reported.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24. Gay, lesbian and bisexual youth are particularly vulnerable, seriously contemplating suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth, the Trevor Project reported, citing studies from researchers. About 28% of the country’s Gen Z young adult population ages 18-25 identify as queer, according to a recent report by the Public Religion Research Institute.
Eddie Martinez, executive director of the Latino Equality Alliance, supports the county motion and the two pieces of legislation. He was asked about the HHS claim that LGBTQ+ 988 hotline callers will still get counselors to help them, just not those trained in issues faced by queer youth.
“LGBTQ+ youth have higher rates of suicide, higher rates of depression,” he said in an interview. “Because of the climate we face at home, at school and nationally, as you can see what’s happening from the White House. They do need extra attention, extra support, to communicate with someone to talk about their feelings, to prevent a suicide. That is vital.”
Hahn said it is not their sexual orientation that causes the distress, but the discrimination, family unacceptance, and bullying that can lead to depression, isolation and suicidal ideation. “Particularly around the holidays, it becomes a time of loneliness and feeling not welcomed, especially in their own families,” Hahn said.
Ashley Habibi, 39, a transgender woman from Pasadena who was at the rally, said she called 988 13 months ago after being a victim of domestic violence, pressed option 3, and was helped by LGBTQ+ counselors.
They directed her to L.A. CADA, the Los Angeles Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and helped her get sober. After more calls to the LGBTQ+ specific counselors on 988, she was placed in a shelter that accepted her as a transgender woman. She said their expertise and comfort with talking to a transgender woman were critical in her recovery.
“They helped me feel safe and that I was going to be OK,” she said. “I now have goals. I have a future. I have a life I never imagined I would have,” she added, crediting the specialized, over-the-phone counselors with her turnaround. She is enrolled in classes at Rio Hondo College and is learning to be a peer support specialist that helps people with substance abuse problems.
Sunitha Menon, executive director of the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission, told the group at the rally that LGBTQ+ counselors make a difference.
“I’ve spoken with LGBTQ+ youth who have been thinking about killing themselves. I’ve been a part of, and witnessed the incredible worth of crisis counselors who prevent them from making a decision that cannot be undone. These types of services save lives every day,” Menon said.
González, a gay man, said the cuts were part of a systemic federal policy directive to remove services from the transgender and queer community.
“In this political moment there are those who believe they can erase queerness by deleting a line item in the budget. They try to scare us with threats and roll backs and erasure of our dignity and our rights,” he said.
The specialized counselors from the defunct Press 3 option understood what a queer person was going through and could say the right words, using correct pronouns, with empathy. “When a young person’s life hangs in the balance, every word matters. There is no room for ignorance. And no tolerance for harm,” González said.
The board’s motions came about after the two supervisors asked for a report on its options for reinstating Press 3 locally back in July. The motions will do the following:
• The board directed the Department of Mental Health to create a pilot program for callers from L.A. County. This local option would require approval by SAMHSA.
• The board is co-sponsoring González’s bill in the state house. It is also supporting two pieces of legislation in the U.S. Congress: S. 2826, introduced by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK); and H.R. 5434, introduced by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and co-sponsored by representatives Michael Lawler (R-NY), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Seth Moulton (D-MA).
To talk to a counselor for mental health support or suicide prevention, dial 988. For LGBTQ+ counselors, The Trevor Project has specially trained counselors available 24/7 by calling 1-866-488-7386 or by texting START to 678678.