The Trevor Project

This Back to School season, we know that you may be experiencing challenges in your school or home environment. That’s why our CEO Jaymes Black wrote this letter to LGBTQ+ young people everywhere — to remind you that The Trevor Project is always here to support you during your hard times, and champion you through every joyful moment. As a parent, queer and trans person, and former kid who needed crisis support, Jaymes knows that showing up for LGBTQ+ young people is lifesaving. And that’s why we won’t stop. Read the full letter: https://lnkd.in/gUJF8Qf7

This Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we are uplifting Leah’s story 🌈As a queer teen, Leah (they/them) navigated mental health challenges and suicidal ideation while living through multiple traumatic experiences — leading to a C-PTSD diagnosis in adulthood. Leah describes the difficulties of meeting the expectations of their parents while being bullied and harassed at school, fueling a lifelong struggle to stay alive. Yet, Leah says that their mental health diagnosis has deepened their understanding of who they are — and why they are here. In our 2024 U.S. National Survey, 70% of queer young people reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety and 55% reported symptoms of depression. This number increases for nonbinary young people like Leah. Yesterday was C-PTSD Awareness Day, an important time to acknowledge the community of LGBTQ+ young people living with complex post traumatic stress. While Leah’s story is only one unique perspective of someone living with C-PTSD, they offer us this important reminder: “As a twenty-seven year old living with C-PTSD, I do everything on behalf of my childhood self who didn’t feel seen, heard, or understood. If you’re feeling that way, know that there is an adult out there who survived and is championing you to survive, too. Grant yourself the hope to cling to light in the darkness. The world deserves to have you in it; you deserve to be here.” Read Leah’s full story here  ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gmjMji6F #CPTSD #MentalHealth #SuicidePreventionAwarenessMonth #LGBTQ #TheTrevorProject 

We are immensely grateful to announce our partnership with The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. Together, we will be able to provide essential and life-saving services to LGBTQ+ young people across rural america. 🧡 Everyday we are committed to creating a world where all LGBTQ+ young people can thrive and be their true selves. When we have partners like Helmsley on our team we get closer and closer to that reality. Read more about our partnership here: https://lnkd.in/eVj8Cnyy

On Thursday, the 11th U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled to reinstate a ban of The Biden Administration’s Title IX rule barring discrimination in schools based on a students’ sexual orientation or gender identity. The ban now goes into effect in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, adding to a list of 24 other states who have prevented Title IX from protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination. But this isn’t over — it only means that the rule cannot be in effect in these states while it is still being argued. Our advocates won’t stop arguing, because our research shows that rules like this are lifesaving. 60% of LGBTQ+ young people surveyed in our 2024 U.S. National Survey reported that they have felt discriminated against in the past year due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Those LGBTQ+ young people were more likely to attempt suicide compared to those who did not. Title IX is necessary to prevent this from happening in the first place, by creating barriers to injustice from happening where kids should feel safe — at school. We will continue working to help all Americans — including judges — to better understand the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ young people to secure better case outcomes in the future. Read the full article from The Advocate: https://lnkd.in/gZ6ysYqe #TitleIX #LGBTQ #MentalHealth #TheTrevorProject

Congrats to Jaymes Black on hitting the 50-day mark as The Trevor Project’s CEO! Prior to joining The Trevor Project, Jaymes was the President & CEO of Family Equality, the leading national organization working to ensure that everyone has the freedom to find, form, and sustain their families by advancing LGBTQ+ equality through advocacy, support, storytelling, and education. In addition to their extensive experience in the LGBTQ+ movement, Jaymes’ expertise blends nonprofit and corporate competencies. They have substantial experience in organizational management, and held leadership positions at major companies, managed high performing teams at scale, have overseen large organizational budgets, led through periods of transition, and diversified revenue streams. Jaymes is a strong fundraiser, a coalition builder, advocacy partner, and has led teams focused on call center operations and user experience. We’re so lucky to have you, Jaymes! Congratulations on this major milestone! 

104 years ago, with the passage of the 19th Amendment, white women in America gained the right to vote. Today, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day — thanks to the undaunted courage and tireless advocacy of those women whose voices and votes were not ratified under law in 1920. Those Black and Brown women, Indigenous women, trans women, queer and bisexual women, Two-Spirit women and femmes whose voting rights and civil rights were not recognized until years later. This weekend, on what would have been her 79th birthday, we celebrated the life and legacy of Marsha P. Johnson. Our liberation is all interconnected, and today, we are reminded that Marsha’s civil rights activism led to a country where Black trans women can proudly run for office and see their names on the ballot. Queer and trans people have shouldered our advocacy throughout history; The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and The Stonewall Rebellion of 1969 were only four years apart. Trans rights are women’s rights are voting rights are civil rights…🏳️⚧️ We also know that the current cultural narrative around women’s rights directly impacts (but often leaves out) AFAB trans folks. We see you. At The Trevor Project, we will continue working towards a world where all LGBTQ+ folks feel seen and safe. Remember that The Trevor Project is always here to help, 24/7, free and secure. Call us at 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or visit trvr.org/get-help to speak to our counselors 🧡 #WomensEqualityDay #TheTrevorProject #LGBTQ

In a year predicated by the heartbreaking and untimely death of Nex Benedict, our research team wanted to prioritize the impact of anti-LGBTQ+ school policies on the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people. Because where you go to school (and what you experience there) matters. Here’s what we found: Nearly ⅓ of those youth we surveyed reported attending a school with at least one anti-LGBTQ+ policy — and nearly half of those young people also reported attending school only sometimes. Attending schools with anti-LGBTQ+ policies was associated with poorer mental health and higher suicide risk among LGBTQ+ young people, with more policies correlating with worse mental health outcomes. Read the full research report ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gcYjqrPW #TheTrevorProject #MentalHealth #LGBTQ #SchoolClimate #Research #DataMakesADifference

There is no such thing as a bad emotion 🧡 Take it from Meg LeFauve (she/her), Screenwriter for Inside Out 2. We sat down with Meg earlier this month to chat about the significance of meaningful conversations around emotions, self-compassion, and mental health. Remember, humanity is wrapped in all the messy parts of life. Take it from us, these conversations are lifesaving. Visit our blog to read our whole conversation with Meg 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e4vgkSaV #InsideOut2 #Emotions #LGBTQ #MentalHealth #TheTrevorProject

Calling on our Trevor Community! We are so excited to have a panel in the running for SXSW 2025: "When AI Saves Lives: Real Applications in Mental Health." The discussion will bring together several leaders at the intersection of technology and mission-driven nonprofit work (including our new incredible CEO Jaymes Black!) to explore the ways that generative AI is being used to progress mission-driven causes. We would love your support during this community voting period to increase our chances of being selected for the conference in March 2025. Voting only takes a couple minutes, and it closes this Sunday, August 18 @ 11:59 PM PT 🧡 https://lnkd.in/eWinYuUi

Allyship is more than just showing up for LGBTQ+ young people — it’s about the small, everyday actions you take to support, affirm, and show love to your queer and trans friends. We know that allyship can be hard, and finding the right words isn’t always easy. That’s why our latest episode of Trevor Talks is here to give you simple tips on how to support LGBTQ+ young people and signal that you are an everyday ally 🌈🏳️⚧️ Watch the full episode on Youtube 🧡📢 🔗: https://bit.ly/4cnX7RR #TheTrevorProject #Allyship #LGBTQ #SuicidePrevention