Today we would like to talk about a very important matter. Vanity Teen joins forces with The Trevor Project @trevorproject, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people.
The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the world’s largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide.
As the association has told us, every day, LGBTQ youth in crisis reach out by calling, texting, and chatting with The Trevor Project with the hope that they can receive the support of a warm community. Since the onset of COVID-19, the volume of youth reaching out to our crisis services for support has increased significantly, at times doubling the pre-COVID volume.
“It is vital to our mission that we are always there for LGBTQ youth in crisis with a clear message: that they should be proud of who they are and that they are not alone. Together, we can make sure that LGBTQ youth can tap into a community of resilience to know they are not alone for even a single minute.”
There are different possibilities for you to donate and contribute to this great cause, helping young generations who are going through rough times. Your life-saving gift will help The Trevor Project to train a record number of crisis counselors, continue to provide all of their crisis services 24/7 and for free, and expand their innovative advocacy, research, and education programs.
To raise awareness on this matter, we would like to provide some facts and numbers. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth are at significantly increased risk. Based on CDC data, we know that LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their straight/cisgender peers. The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth in the U.S. seriously consider suicide each year and could benefit from our services. Furthermore, the Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health is the largest survey of LGBTQ youth mental health ever conducted and represents the experiences of over 40,000 LGBTQ youth in the United States. A few key findings:
- 40% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, with more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth having seriously considered.
- 29% of LGBTQ youth have experienced homelessness, been kicked out, or run away.
- 61% of transgender and nonbinary youth reported being prevented or discouraged from using a bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.
They have also found that just one accepting adult can reduce the risk of a suicide attempt among LGBTQ young people by 40 percent.
This organization also provides a wide range of resources for people to really understand the seriousness of the matter as well as other resources for LGBTQ people to know how to cope with tough situations such as the coming-out moment, how to support transgender and nonbinary people, how to support bisexual youth, how to cope with anxiety and stress or to navigate through conversations around the intersection of marginalized identities: race and LGBTQ identities. You can find all the resources here:
- The Trevor Support Center provides answers to FAQs and provides resources related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and more.
- The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth is an introductory educational resource that covers a wide range of topics and best practices on how to support transgender and nonbinary people.
- The Trevor Project’s Coming Out: A Handbook for LGBTQ Young People is a resource that covers a wide range of topics to support LGBTQ young people in exploring what coming out safely can mean for them.
- The Trevor Project’s How To Support Bisexual Youth: Ways to Care for Young People Who Are Attracted to More Than One Gender is a handbook that covers a wide range of topics and best practices for supporting bisexual youth, including bisexuality, pansexuality, and other multisexual identities; romantic orientations; preventing bisexual erasure and biphobia; navigating gender and bisexuality; exploring different relationship types; and self-care tips.
- The Trevor Project’s blog post, “How LGBTQ youth can cope with anxiety and stress during COVID-19,” acknowledges the intense emotions LGBTQ youth may feel living through COVID-19. In some cases, LGBTQ youth’s ongoing challenges might be exacerbated by the consequences of physical distancing, such as being confined to unsupportive or abusive home environments or experiencing increased rates of unemployment and homelessness. The blog post helps LGBTQ young people manage the wide range of emotions they might feel at this time.
- Black and LGBTQ: Approaching Intersectional Conversations: this resource helps readers navigate tough conversations around the intersection of marginalized identities: race and LGBTQ identities. Readers can use the guide to explore what those conversations can look like in their unique situations, including before, during, and after the discussion.
If you want to take part in this association’s aim you can find the banner on our homepage that will take you to the donation page. You can also go to the donation page here.