Photo of The Trevor Project's Saurav Jung Thapa (he/him/his), Jaymes Black (he/she/they), Mark Henson (he/him/his) myself) with the Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, MD.
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Celebrating Two Years of 988 LGBTQ Youth Specialized Services at The Trevor Project: Lessons Learned and the Path Ahead

By Saurav Jung Thapa, Senior Federal Affairs Manager, The Trevor Project This National Suicide Prevention Month, The Trevor Project is incredibly proud to commemorate two years of being the leading provider of LGBTQ Youth Specialized Services in the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.  The 988 Lifeline has provided crisis services through more than 200 crisis centers to over 10 million people since its launch in 2022. LGBTQ youth specialized services — a component of 988 alongside the Veterans Crisis Line and Spanish-language services — has served a significant portion of these contacts. In 2023 alone, Trevor served over 278,000 contacts…
Illustration of a capital building and an outlined illustration of Pennsylvania.
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A Mental Health Victory: Pennsylvania’s Historic Ban on Conversion Therapy

Tanner Mobley (he/him) Advocacy Associate, Conversion Therapy As Advocacy Campaigns Associate at The Trevor Project, I’m thrilled to share a major victory from our Advocacy Team’s efforts. Over the past several years, I’ve been part of an incredible team working tirelessly to get Pennsylvania’s regulatory boards to adopt statements-of-policy against conversion therapy — dangerous and discredited practices that attempt to change a person’s LGBTQ+ identity.  I want to take you behind the scenes and show you how we turned our vision into a powerful reality. The Urgent Need for Change Our drive to end conversion therapy in Pennsylvania was fueled…
A young person waves the Progress Pride flag.
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As Pride Month Ends, Celebration of Legislative Wins Continues

The parades, picnics, and festivals that symbolize Pride Month may have concluded until next June, but we know that Pride celebrated by and for LGBTQ+ communities reverberates year-round. This is particularly true when considering the legal advancements made for LGBTQ+ young people across the nation during the 2024 state legislative sessions. While discriminatory bills that aim to erase or harm LGBTQ+ young people and adults alike often make headlines, it’s critical that we recognize the collective power we have in supporting legislators who champion key legal advancements. With over 260 LGBTQ+ affirming bills introduced in 40 states aimed at advancing…
Photo of Tyler, our Pride in Action hero.
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Meet Tyler

“Being here with The Trevor Project is such a full circle moment for me, you know, people and an organization that helped save my life.” - Tyler (he/him) Growing up in a conservative, church-going household in West Virginia,Tyler found meaning in his family and his church. When Tyler started to come to terms with his gay identity, he started to become isolated from his community. Tyler reached out to The Trevor Project, where he found support and encouragement from counselors. Encouraged by his mom’s unwavering love, Tyler came out to his community and became an advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, eventually…
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Meet Carmen

“At the beginning of the school year, my guidance counselor reached out to me and asked me if I wanted her to get workplace training on trans identities. And initially I was hesitant. But they did have the workplace training, and I came across some of my former teachers and they expressed support for me. I went back to school my senior year, in person, and I had this fear of being misgendered or dead-named. And none of the teachers did.”  - Carmen (she/her) As a kid, Carmen found joy in her mom’s closet; she enjoyed dressing up in her…
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Meet Parker

“Pride in action means I have a chance to make a dent in this world. And even if it means I can change the world for just one person and make one kid's life better, it means the world to me.” - Parker (they/them) Growing up in Wisconsin, Parker had to come out twice: first as bisexual, then as nonbinary. They found that knowledge from resources like The Trevor Project was power, and so Parker wanted to use their expertise in user experience to make a difference for other LGBTQ+ young people as well. Parker developed Q Guide, an LGBTQ+…
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Meet Alexis

“The change I'm just hoping to see in the world is equality and equity… I think that we should all show for the trans community in allyship and honor each other because we're better in community, and anything against us is against all of us.” - Alexis (she/her), Deputy Director for The Queer Trans Project Alexis was fortunate to have a mom who would always have open and affirming conversations about her sexuality. This openness taught her what allyship looked like. So when Alexis met a girl she couldn’t stop thinking about, she felt safe knowing that her family was…
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Meet Julia and Holly

“To me, Pride in Action means being a role model to other people around the community and around the country. To be able to show them that you can start small, you can start anywhere. That one action can make ripples that you didn't even know were possible until you try.” - Julia (she/they) Growing up in the South, Julia didn’t always see representation for people like her. After her best friend came out in middle school, Julia began exploring her sexuality and using she/they pronouns. Julia learned the importance of leadership, eventually becoming president of the Gay-Straight Alliance at…
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Against the Erasure of Black Queer History

American history of resistance is a history of Black LGBTQ+ people. Advancements in civil rights and greater visibility of the LGBTQ+ community overall can be attributed to the efforts of Black LGBTQ+ folks; so much of what is popular and beloved in music, fashion, culture, and even language is because of the innovations and traditions of the Black queer diaspora. All of this is born out of the need to survive oppressive and violent conditions, distinguish themselves from their white LGBTQ+ counterparts who often enjoyed greater privilege. When there are efforts to censor Black queer history in classrooms, to prevent…
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How The Trevor Project is Advocating for LGBTQ+ Young People During the 2024 Legislative Season

An interview with Janson Wu (he/him), Sr. Director, State Advocacy & Government Written by Ryan Bernsten (he/him), Senior Managing Editor RYAN: Let’s start really high-level. Why is the 2024 legislative season so important? JANSON: We've already seen close to 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced already in 2024. Last year we saw a record-breaking 600+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced, and 82 of those passed into law. This year, we're seeing our opponents double down on the breadth and cruelty of their attacks. Where we saw gender-affirming care bans targeting youth last year, we're now seeing restrictions for adult care. Where we once saw…