Hey Friend,

We’re excited to be starting the new year, but first:

Here’s a big THANK YOU to you, Friend, and everyone else who supported us throughout the year. Whether it was by volunteering, advocating, giving, or fundraising — it all has a direct impact in ensuring we can be there for every LGBTQ young person who needs us. You help us save young lives, thank you so much.

We’re looking forward to another year of growth to connect with even more young people in need of support.

If you are struggling today, know that we are always here for you. You are never alone.

Thank you for being a vital part of our community,

Tina M. Barber
(she/her/hers)
Director of Community Giving
The Trevor Project

85% of transgender and nonbinary youth report recent debates around anti-trans bills have negatively impacted their mental health

Our team released a new poll underscoring the impacts of politics and current events on the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ young people. For LGBTQ youth, racism emerged as a top issue impacting the world — more than 65% also say issues like anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, police brutality, gun violence, climate change, and efforts to restrict abortion access often give them stress and anxiety.

“It’s clear that lawmakers should be taking an intersectional approach to public policy, not working overtime to target the most marginalized young people...for partisan political points" said Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project. "We all must play a role in promoting LGBTQ acceptance and creating a more supportive world for all young people.”

It’s clear— Gender-Affirming Care Has Huge Potential to Reduce Rates of Depression and Suicide Attempts

The first large-scale study to examine hormone therapy among transgender and nonbinary youth found a significant relationship between gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) and lower rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth.

Mistreatment and Stigmatization Create Higher Risks for LGBTQ Youth

LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24 — and LGBTQ youth are four times as likely to report a suicide attempt than their straight or cisgender peers.

A Little Uplift from the Holiday Season

The holidays can be very stressful and anxiety inducing for LGBTQ youth coping with non-affirming families, friends, and spaces. We asked our amazing community, people like you, to share some words of encouragement this holiday season. Here’s just a small taste of what our community had to say:

We even got our friends Tegan & Sara, Lil Nas X, and Billy Porter to write words of encouragement — but this time to their younger selves.

Partner Spotlight: A look at a special partnership — Bliss

Our research shows that 88% of LGBTQ youth said social media negatively impacted their well-being. That's why we teamed up with Bliss back in May for Mental Health Awareness Month.

We launched PepTok together, aiming to start open dialogues about mental health and create more positive and affirming spaces on TikTok with a campaign right where it all goes down – the comments section. Hyram, a popular TikTok creator, kicked off the campaign with a LIVE conversation with Trevor's very own Chris Bright (she/her).

Though this campaign has concluded, the effects of positivity online have more impact than you may realize. You can join us and Bliss to continue creating affirming spaces online — follow us and Bliss on TikTok to keep the conversation going.