Youth's Lives Every Day
CEO Jaymes Black Named to the Inaugural TIME Visionaries List
June is always a sacred time for our community — a moment dedicated to honoring the history, resilience, and joy of LGBTQ+ people. But Pride Month is also a critical reminder of the ongoing work required to ensure every LGBTQ+ young person can grow up safe, affirmed, and loved. Each year we celebrate the progress we’ve made, as well as the mountainous work still ahead.
It is against this backdrop of reflection that we share some news. Today, TIME announced its inaugural TIME Visionaries list, recognizing a select group of leaders driving meaningful impact in the lives of young people across education, health and wellness, technology, and economic opportunity. We are incredibly proud to share that The Trevor Project’s CEO, Jaymes Black, has been included on this new list.
In May, Jaymes was named to the global TIME100 Philanthropy list, which highlighted innovators who are reshaping the landscape of giving and resource mobilization. To have The Trevor Project’s leadership recognized on two distinct TIME lists roughly four weeks apart, and right in the heart of Pride, is a historic and humbling milestone for our organization.
At a time when LGBTQ+ youth face unique systemic hurdles, this inclusion is a powerful, public validation that their mental health and well-being are central to the global conversation surrounding youth welfare.
Receiving these honors back-to-back reinforces that protecting youth from suicide risk and mental health challenges is not an LGBTQ+ issue; it is an American issue, a global issue. As America marches toward its 250th birthday in July, we refuse to settle for a country that doesn’t support LGBTQ+ youth just like any other young person. We have been doing this work for nearly 30 years because we believe a safer world is possible for ALL young people, and that includes LGBTQ+ youth.
We are deeply grateful to have Jaymes Black, who often talks about being the adult that they did not have as a young person, as our leader. But this recognition belongs entirely to the wider Trevor Project ecosystem. It belongs to the crisis counselors answering digital and phone contacts late into the night, the advocates fighting for protective policies, the researchers uncovering life-saving data, and the supporters who stand fiercely with us every single day. Jaymes’s presence on this list is a direct reflection of a collective, unyielding community that refuses to let LGBTQ+ youth stand alone.
Being a visionary is about belief. It is about tenacity. It is about refusing to let the hostile noise wear us down. In that spirit, we share this honor with the entire LGBTQ+ youth community, whose fortitude and perseverance keeps us going each and every day.
Not that we needed another reason, but today, we are brimming with Pride.
With Pride, all year round,
The Trevor Project
