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LGBTQ+ - Assemblymember Mark González has introduced AB 1540, legislation designed to reestablish the 988 Press 3 LGBTQ+ Youth Suicide Crisis Line in California, restoring a specialized mental-health lifeline that was eliminated at the federal level.
The measure aims to backfill a program that had routed LGBTQ+ youth in crisis directly to affirming, trained providers through the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Advocates say the loss of the Press 3 option has left vulnerable young people without a critical, proven resource during a time of escalating mental-health need.
“We have seen decades of hard-fought rights and services rolled back, including access to this proven lifesaving hotline,” González said. “We will not stand by as our youth are pushed into crisis, lost to suicide, and forgotten. With AB 1540, California affirms its commitment and ensures we will not abandon our young people.”
A Proven Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Youth
Since 2022, the 988 system has partnered with nonprofit organizations to route more than 1.5 million contacts to specialized LGBTQ+ crisis care providers nationwide. Before the Press 3 option was discontinued in mid-2025, callers could immediately reach counselors trained to address the unique challenges LGBTQ+ youth face, including family rejection, bullying, and hate-based harassment.
In California alone, the LGBTQ+ youth subnetwork received 73,000 calls between July 2024 and June 2025, representing 9% of all calls to the national LGBTQ+ subnetwork. From May 2024 to April 2025, the subnetwork handled more than 680,000 calls nationwide, accounting for approximately 14% of all 988 calls during that period.
Los Angeles County represents roughly one-third of California’s total 988 call volume, underscoring the scale of need in the region.
Local Leaders Back the Effort
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn emphasized the importance of restoring the service, noting the impact its absence has had on young people seeking help.
“The Press 3 option was a lifeline, and losing it has been devastating,” Hahn said. “We will never turn our backs on our LGBTQ+ young people. Lives are on the line, and we have no time to waste.”
Hahn is also leading efforts at the county level to restore LGBTQ+-specific crisis routing while AB 1540 advances through the Legislature.
Statewide advocacy organizations echoed that urgency. Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang said the bill reflects California’s responsibility to act when federal protections are withdrawn.
“When the federal government walks away from its responsibility, California has an obligation to step in,” Hoang said. “This legislation makes clear that our state will not abandon LGBTQ+ youth in their most vulnerable moments.”
Pete Weldy, CEO of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, added that service providers are already seeing heightened fear and anxiety among LGBTQ+ youth. “AB 1540 will help connect young people to life-saving services and remind them they are seen and supported,” he said.
Stark Mental-Health and Safety Data
The urgency behind AB 1540 is reinforced by troubling national data. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of students identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual reported having attempted suicide, compared with 6% of heterosexual students. For transgender high-school students, that figure rises to nearly 26%.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that schools are the third most common location for hate crimes against LGBTQ+ youth, with incidents more than doubling between 2018 and 2022.
Advocates say those realities make immediate, culturally competent crisis intervention not optional—but essential.
Legislative Path Forward
Assemblymember González, who serves as Assembly Majority Whip, sits on the Committees on Appropriations, Health, Public Safety, Rules, and Utilities & Energy. He represents California’s 54th Assembly District, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Commerce, Montebello, and Vernon.
As AB 1540 moves through the legislative process, supporters are urging swift action, arguing that restoring the LGBTQ+ Youth Crisis Line is a matter of life and death—not politics.
For LGBTQ+ advocates across California, the message is clear: when young people reach out for help, the state must be ready to answer.
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