In a powerful move to restore moral order and protect America’s youth, President Donald Trump has officially ended taxpayer funding of a radical LGBT “hotline” that encouraged irreversible gender “transitions” for vulnerable children. This is not just a political decision — it’s a moral correction. It’s a courageous stand against the exploitation of minors in the name of ideology.
On June 17, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced it would permanently shut down the “Press 3” extension of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — a line reserved specifically for LGBTQ-identifying youth. Created under the Biden administration, this taxpayer-funded project had funneled over $33 million into promoting gender ideology to children, including through partnerships with groups like The Trevor Project.
But now, the lifeline has been restored to its true mission — helping all people in crisis, not advancing divisive agendas. Gone is the identity-based menu of options. Now, every caller will be supported through a unified response system, free from ideological filters. This is a win for children, for parents, and for truth.
From a Catholic perspective, this is a victory for the dignity of the human person. Every child is created in the image and likeness of God — male or female, body and soul, fearfully and wonderfully made. The idea that children should be encouraged to question their God-given identity, and even mutilate their bodies to chase an illusion, is not only unscientific — it’s spiritually destructive.
Modern research supports this truth. Over 80% of children with gender dysphoria outgrow it naturally by late adolescence. Yet programs like this hotline fast-track kids down a dangerous path — one that too often ends in lifelong regret, sterilization, and deep psychological trauma. According to peer-reviewed studies, so-called “gender-affirming” surgeries do not decrease suicide risk — they increase it, especially when performed on youth whose identities are still forming.
This isn’t compassion. This is a lie that maims the body and wounds the soul.
Catholic teaching is clear: “Male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). The body is not a canvas for personal experimentation, nor is it a mistake to be corrected by surgery. It is a sacred gift. The Church calls every person — including those with same-sex attraction or gender confusion — to live a life of truth, chastity, and holiness, not one of mutilation and despair.
Let’s be clear: this hotline wasn’t neutral. It was evangelizing children into confusion. The Trevor Project, a primary partner, openly promotes hormone therapy, name changes, chest binders, and radical surgeries — all without addressing deeper emotional or spiritual wounds. Worse still, many detransitioners — brave souls who were sold the lie — are now sounding the alarm, warning others of the irreversible harm they’ve endured and the silence they faced from the medical establishment.
As Catholics, we are called to love the sinner but reject the sin — and that means rejecting the lies that are hurting our children. We must accompany those who are suffering, yes, but we must walk with them toward truth — not affirm them into falsehood.
President Trump’s action is a step toward sanity. It’s a rare moment when politics actually defends the moral order. The government has no business funding ideological grooming. Children don’t need affirmation of delusion — they need fathers, mothers, faith, and the unwavering truth of Christ.
To the LGBT activists who cry foul: this isn’t about hate. It’s about protecting the innocent from dangerous lies, saving souls, and reestablishing the basic reality of human nature. You are free to live your life — but you are not free to recruit children into irreversible harm with public dollars.
May this be a turning point — not just politically, but spiritually. Let us continue to pray, speak out, and act boldly in the name of truth.
Because every child deserves to hear: “You were made in the image of God. You are not a mistake. And you are loved.”
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We have to ask, why are so many children, and even adults, dealing with confusion? There is something bigger at work.