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Pansexuality: What It is, What It Isn’t

What is Pansexuality? Though pansexuality has become much more commonly discussed, there is still a lot of confusion around what it actually is, leaving pansexual young people feeling invalidated. I can assure you — pansexuality is real and perfectly normal. Pansexuality is defined as an attraction to people of any gender or to people regardless of their gender, with the prefix “pan” coming from the Greek prefix for “all.” Pansexuality isn’t a more evolved or “politically correct” form of bisexuality; it isn’t more or less trans/nonbinary inclusive; it’s just a word to describe one kind of sexual orientation. Basically, if…
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The Trevor Project Launches Our 2023 National Survey

The Trevor Project's 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People highlights the experiences of over 28,000 LGBTQ youth aged 13 to 24 across the United States. We wish we had seen more progress in our Annual Survey towards a world where the public health crisis of suicide among LGBTQ young people is ended and organizations like ours no longer need to exist. However, we still see a crisis where LGBTQ young people don't feel affirmed, experience suicidal ideation, and most who want mental health care are still unable to access it. We can and must…
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Celebrating Volunteer Appreciation Week with Trevor Donors and Staff

The Trevor Project’s community of volunteers is essential to our mission of creating a brighter future for LGBTQ young people. To celebrate Volunteer Appreciation Week, we reached out to two of our longest-serving volunteers, Barry and Kent, and Pax from our Volunteer Recruitment team, to talk about the importance of volunteers, their life-saving impact, and how much we at Trevor appreciate their work.  Kent and Barry (he/him) are married, live in Manhattan, and come from large, loving families. In addition to volunteering at Trevor, they enjoy seeing friends and family, being in NYC, and traveling (especially to New Zealand where…
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The Trevor Project’s Founder and Interim CEO Reflects on 25 Years of Saving Lives

Here for one generation, here for the next To our expansive, vibrant Trevor Project community: As Founder of The Trevor Project with Randy Stone and Celeste Lecesne, I’m filled with insurmountable pride as our organization begins celebrating its 25th anniversary! Currently, I also serve as the organization’s Interim CEO. And as I think back on the last 25 years, my heart fills with immense gratitude for the many passionate individuals who’ve immeasurably contributed to The Trevor Project’s longstanding history of providing life-saving services 24/7 while growing our suicide prevention programs. In 1998, LGBTQ identities were not widely represented or understood…
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Here for one generation, here for the next

For 25 years, The Trevor Project has been providing community and support for LGBTQ young people who need it.  We’ve come a long way over the past 25 years; in 1994, a short film called Trevor was released, telling the fictional story of a 13-year-old gay boy who grapples with bullying, family rejection, and suicidal thoughts. The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, but the creators soon discovered there was no real place for LGBTQ young people experiencing similar struggles to call for support. The Trevor Project was officially founded on March…
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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…