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Advocacy

The Trevor Project Condemns Trump Admin’s Latest Attack on LGBTQ Students

Statement from Amit Paley, CEO and Executive Director of The Trevor Project: “The Trevor Project condemns the recent guidance from the Department of Education as a completely unacceptable attack on the rights of LGBTQ young people. In its final hours, the Trump Administration is attempting to once more harm LGBTQ students by misapplying the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. This Administration has consistently misconstrued the law as it applies to protecting LGBTQ youth from discrimination, especially those who are transgender or nonbinary, which puts their mental health and wellness at risk. “Recent research from The Trevor Project found that…
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Advocacy

The Trevor Project Files Amicus Brief in Idaho Supporting Transgender Student-Athlete Rights

The Trevor Project filed an amicus brief yesterday with the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Hecox v. Little. Lindsay Hecox is a transgender student at Boise State University who wants to be part of the school track team and filed suit after Idaho passed HB 500 early in 2020 — making it the first state in the nation to restrict transgender women and girls from playing on college and high school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity. The amicus brief provides the Court and the public with The Trevor Project’s unique insights into the serious harms…
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Advocacy

The Trevor Project Responds to Today’s Conversion Therapy Ruling from 11th Circuit Court of Appeals

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit decided in the case of Otto v. City of Boca Raton that bans on LGBTQ conversion therapy violate the First Amendment. In a 2–1 decision, both judges in the majority who were appointed by the President. Full statement from Amit Paley (he/him), CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people: “Conversion therapy is fraud. No matter how hard you try, you cannot change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. This so-called therapy has only ever proven to produce negative…
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Advocacy

988 Officially Becomes Law!

On October 17th, The Trevor Project celebrated the official signing of The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which will allow Americans to simply dial ‘988’ to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, instead of the current ten-digit number (800-273-8255), starting in July 2022. Passed by the Senate in May and the House of Representatives in September, this is the first bill that is specifically LGBTQ-inclusive to pass Congress unanimously in history. “The Trevor Project is thrilled to see the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act — the first explicitly LGBTQ-inclusive bill to ever pass Congress unanimously — officially signed into law. We will continue…
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Advocacy

The Trevor Project Applauds the Fourth Circuit for its Groundbreaking Decision in Favor of Gavin Grimm and Trans Equality

Statement from Sam Brinton (they/them pronouns), Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project: “Today’s decision in favor of Gavin Grimm is a tremendous victory for transgender equality. When transgender and nonbinary students are denied access to school facilities or documents consistent with their gender identity, they are are not only denied basic dignity and respect, but also fundamental human rights. This decision reaffirms that anti-transgender discrimination is, in fact, illegal under the law. The Trevor Project applauds Gavin Grimm and his attorneys for their immense courage and resiliency over the course of this five-year-long battle for…
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Advocacy

Progress in Kentucky

The conversation around protecting Kentucky’s LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy has ramped up this month. Today, August 25th, the Kentucky State Legislature held its first-ever informational hearing on the dangers of conversion therapy in a Joint Interim Legislative Committee, which could positively impact the potential of passing statewide legislation in the future. And on August 31st, the City of Louisville will introduce a proposed ordinance that would protect LGBTQ youth from being subjected to the discredited practice of conversion therapy by licensed mental health practitioners. “The Trevor Project is encouraged by the growing momentum against conversion therapy in the Commonwealth…
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Advocacy

FCC Moving Forward with 9-8-8 as 3-Digit Suicide Prevention Number

This morning, the Federal Communications Commission announced its plans to finalize a two-year phase-in of ‘988’ as the new, nationwide, 3-digit phone number for suicide prevention. The rules, if adopted by the Commission at its July 16 Open Meeting, would require all phone service providers to begin directing all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022.   Statement from Sam Brinton (they/them pronouns), Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project: “The Trevor Project commends the FCC for moving forward with the implementation of 9-8-8 on an efficient two-year timeline. Suicide remains the second…
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Advocacy

Progress in Virginia: Protecting Youth from Conversion Therapy

2020 legislative sessions have begun across the nation and Virginia is the first to take action on protecting LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy. A subcommittee of the Virginia Senate Education and Health Committee voted this morning to move SB 245, which prohibits licensed health care providers from subjecting minors to conversion therapy, to a full committee vote as soon as this Thursday. Casey Pick, The Trevor Project’s Senior Fellow for Advocacy and Government Affairs, was in Richmond this morning to testify before the subcommittee in favor of these vital protections. From her prepared remarks,…
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Advocacy

Roeland Park Becomes the First City in Kansas to Protect LGBTQ Youth From the Dangers of Conversion Therapy

Monday the Roeland Park City Council unanimously (7-0) passed a municipal ordinance to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy — making Roeland Park the first municipality in Kansas to pass such protections. The Trevor Project is proud to have worked with Equality Kansas to support this ordinance. Thomas Witt, the executive director of Equality Kansas said, “Equality Kansas has made tremendous progress fighting for non-discrimination and other LGBTQ protections across Kansas, and after introducing state-wide legislation to protect our youth from conversion therapy – this year – we could not be more excited to…