Youth's Lives Every Day
The Trevor Project is an international community of care committed to ending suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning young people. Our Board of Directors is integral to Trevor’s mission and provides strategic direction to Trevor’s leadership, acting as our leading ambassadors with donors and partners. As part of our continued celebrations of Pride during June (and all year round), we invited members of our Board of Directors to share their stories of pride, struggle, acceptance, and, ultimately, joy, as well as their statements of support for LGBTQ young people.
Gina Muñoz: Chair of the Board, Attorney at Law & Director of Provider Information, CMO, Montefiore Medical Center (she/her)
Why is The Trevor Project’s mission important to you?
I firmly believe that every life is worth saving. But when that life is a child’s, they don’t always have the voice they need or that someone will listen to. It is my job to speak to them, to speak up for them, and to make sure we speak to others to teach them how to be better humans for those who need us the most.
What is your story of pride?
My story was woven together by many people. When I finally prepared myself to come out, I accepted the worst-case scenario in my head. I was ready to lose family and friends. Instead, every time I said, “I have to tell you something, and it’s ok if you hate me after,” the responses were a magical mix of, “Why would I hate you?” and “I love you for sharing, but seriously you didn’t have to be so dramatic” and “who cares, I love you, I don’t care who you love,” and often just a simple “I love you.” By letting myself be who I am, I found a whole lot more love.
Everyone should have pride every day, but many still don’t. If we can push more people to share their pride a little more, then maybe those who really need it will see it and be proud too.
Thomas Sanchez: Secretary of the Board, Founder & CEO, Social Driver (he/him)
Why is The Trevor Project’s mission important to you? I was first introduced to The Trevor Project after hearing a story from a lifeline volunteer. The story inspired me to get more involved and, as I learned more about Trevor’s life-saving work, I was drawn to find new ways to help.
The community aspect of Trevor’s mission is one of the things I love the most. Over the years, I’ve asked my colleagues, friends, and family to get involved too. It’s a beautiful thing to see the impact we have made together.
The Trevor Project is a beacon of hope and a source of brightness for everyone involved — from the young LGBTQ people we serve to the donors and volunteers that support the mission.
What is your story of pride?
This year my source of pride is my husband, Anthony. As we celebrate our tenth year of marriage during this Pride month, I’ve been reflecting on all we’ve done together and all that’s possible with his loving support.
Anthony and I also founded a company called Social Driver around the same time we got married. This year, Social Driver was just honored as one of the top minority-owned and LGBTQ-owned marketing agencies in the United States. We also launched a philanthropic effort called The Driver Foundation which lets our employees support nonprofits like The Trevor Project by giving back 1% of our revenues.
This pride season, I’d like to thank my husband for supporting my work with The Trevor Project and our mission of saving young LGBTQ lives.
If you’re wanting to support The Trevor Project’s mission, one of the quickest ways to get involved is by sharing our website and phone number with the young people in your life. I’ve met so many amazing people that were introduced to Trevor by someone that cared about them. Trevor provides lifesaving support to LGBTQ young people every day, 24/7.
Sue Cardenas-Soto is a Copywriter at The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, our trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386 via chat www.TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678-678.
