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How to Talk About Suicide Safely (tw: suicide)

This year, one of my resolutions is to be more a candid about mental health, and this includes talking about the difficult subject of suicide and suicidal ideation. Because the more we talk about it, the more we can de-stigmatize it.  First, we need to define it. “Suicide is the act of injuring oneself with the intent to die.” One of the hardest topics to talk about is suicide. Many of us may know people who have attempted or lost their lives to suicide, but talking about it can often feel taboo. We live in a society that sweeps a…
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Every Single One: Words of Support

The holidays can be a difficult time. Going home can mean feeling out of place, overwhelmed, or simply not seen. For many LGBTQ young people, these feelings happen year-round. We never want young people to forget that even if they’re not in affirming environments, there are so many people out there who love and support them. We asked supporters of the Trevor Project to submit words of encouragement for young people to hear and return to when they need it. If you’re having a tough day, we hope these words can lift you up.  I know sometimes it may feel…
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Going Home For The Holidays

Going home can mean returning to your comfort zone. Going home can mean freedom of expression or safety from the storm. Some people have many homes; the homes they come from, the homes they created on their own. And some people still cannot call anywhere a home, in both the physical and emotional sense.  As someone who grew up in an often unsafe and unaffirming home, the ability to control and feel safe in my space is very important to me. The home I am in now is my favorite so far. It is a cozy place where I cook…
Letters To Younger Self
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Every Single One: Letters to My Younger Self

For LGBTQ folks, gaining hindsight can be beautiful and clarifying. Growing up gives us time to find who we are, perspective to see what’s important, and the ability to heal from the sometimes difficult journey of childhood and young adulthood. This holiday season, we invited LGBTQ celebrities to use that hindsight to write a letter to their younger self, asking them to give advice and support. We hope their wisdom speaks to you, wherever you are on your journey. Here’s what they said: JANELLE MONAE (they/them/she/her) “If I could go back and talk to my younger self, I would say…
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Every Single One: Letters to Those Who Supported Us

Affirmation has an enormous impact — in fact, one accepting adult can decrease an LGBTQ young person’s risk of suicide by up to 40%. For this year’s Every Single One campaign, we’re helping LGBTQ young people tell stories of those who have changed their lives for the better. By telling these stories, we hope to encourage others to do the same. We asked five LGBTQ young people to write a letter to someone who has supported them on their journey and captured those letters in this video. Here’s what they said: Dear Mama,  Thank you for understanding me when no…
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A Letter of Thanks

Dear Trevor Family, The holiday season can often be many things at once — beautiful and stressful, joyous and overwhelming, full of people and yet lonely. This Thanksgiving and year-round, The Trevor Project is here for LGBTQ young people who may feel anxious, sad, or isolated. If you or someone you know needs support this season, please know our counselors are always available, 24/7 and for free. Finding time to take care of yourself around the holidays is crucial to protecting mental health. Try taking a moment over the next few days to practice gratitude — many studies have found…
Get Involved with our Fight for Equality
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Get Involved in Our Fight for Equality

The world today feels uncertain and scary. When we look at the issues faced by LGBTQ — especially trans and nonbinary — young people, it can feel overwhelming. There is so much discrimination and disinformation out there, sometimes it feels like there are problems too big to be solved. While it’s true these issues are daunting, there are concrete ways to take action. The antidote to despair is getting involved and effecting change in individual lives.  Transgender Awareness Week is a one-week celebration every year — observed November 13 to November 19 — leading up to Trans Day of Remembrance…
Advocacy

The Trevor Project Is Advocating For LGBTQ Affirming Schools

Whether through legislation, litigation, or public education at the federal, state, and local levels, The Trevor Project is a leading advocate for LGBTQ young people’s mental health and wellbeing across the country. Trevor Project Advocacy Campaign Manager Gabby Doyle (she/her) is focused particularly on advocating for LGBTQ students, young people at risk of finding themselves in unsafe, phobic environments. I came to The Trevor Project after serving as State Partnerships Manager at SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, advocating for comprehensive sex education policies across the country. Now, I work with The Trevor Project on suicide prevention policies in schools.…
Supporting LGBTQ Young people in the Classroom and Beyond with Keygan Miller
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Supporting LGBTQ Young People In The Classroom And Beyond

It’s almost time for students to go back to school, which can be stressful, confusing, and overwhelming for some. Especially in a political climate where LGBTQ identities are under attack by federal and state legislatures, LGBTQ young people could be going back to a hostile or unsafe environment this fall — the opposite of what a school should be. Keygan Miller (they/them), Public Training Manager at The Trevor Project, has a unique perspective as a former educator on what LGBTQ young folks need from their teachers. After serving as a youth educator, I came to The Trevor Project with a…
Campaigns

Margaret Cho, Rhoyle Ivy King, Charlie A. Scott, and Kalen Allen On BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month

July is Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Awareness Month, a month that serves as a special opportunity for BIPOC individuals and allies to raise awareness about the unique mental health needs and concerns of people of color. BIPOC is ultimately just an acronym that encompasses a wide range of experiences, identities, and struggles — so we asked our community to weigh in on intersectionality, mental health, and what BIPOC LGBTQ young people need from allies. Margaret Cho (she/her) How do your identities and their intersections shape who you are and/or impact your own mental health? My…