Friend,

We have a ton of new research and polling to tell you about this month! It’s exciting because Trevor uses data to reveal problems and unlock opportunities to save lives.

But first we want to say thank you for being a part of this community at The Trevor Project — we asked you to send messages of gratitude for National Volunteer Week and so many of you did! Please take a moment to read a handful of the messages below. (And, don’t worry if you forgot! You can still send a message here.)

Gratitude Made National Volunteer Week a HUGE Success

Wow! We got over 316 messages of gratitude for our volunteers during National Volunteer Week (April 17-23). Here were three especially heartfelt ones:

Most Adults Oppose Anti-LGBTQ Education Policies

We conducted a poll with Morning Consult and found the majority of U.S. adults oppose blocking students from accessing LGBTQ resources and educational content on the internet at school (57%), banning books on LGBTQ topics from school libraries (56%), and banning classroom discussions about LGBTQ topics — including sexual orientation and gender identity — in school (52%).

“This poll emphasizes just how out of step recent political attacks aimed at LGBTQ students and their families are with public opinion. A majority of adults reject the government overreach we’re witnessing across the country," said Sam Ames (they/them), Director of Advocacy & Government Affairs for The Trevor Project.

Learning: More Work to be Done with Parents of Transgender and Nonbinary Youth

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults (62%) said they’d be comfortable if their child came out as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. However, only half of all adults said they would be comfortable if their child came out as transgender or nonbinary.

“Knowing how vital a parent’s love and support is for suicide prevention, it’s encouraging to see a majority of adults express comfort with having LGBTQ kids. But we still have a lot more work to do to increase understanding of transgender and nonbinary youth,” said Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project.

Findings Highlight Need for Culturally Competent Mental Health Services for the LGBTQ and Deaf* Communities

Deaf* LGBTQ youth face higher rates of depression, discrimination, and considering or attempting suicide. Mental health care providers should be prepared to serve clients in ways that both affirm their LGBTQ identities and are accessible to their needs as Deaf* clients.

The Trevor Project is dedicated to supporting Deaf* LGBTQ youth. Our Crisis Services are available 24/7 to any LGBTQ youth in need. Our text and chat services are accessible to Deaf* youth using text-based communication, and our phone Lifeline can be accessed with the support of an interpreter or voice-to-text/text-to-voice service.

* The lower-case “deaf” refers to people who are unable to hear. “Deaf” with a capital “D” refers to the community and culture developed by and for deaf people, largely around a shared sign language. We use the term “Deaf*” to include all forms of Deafness: medical and non-medical perspectives, Hearing Impaired, DeafBlind, and others

Black@Trevor: Katherine Dews (she/her)

At The Trevor Project, we create intentional spaces, called Affinity Groups, that allow members of Team Trevor to connect with each other around their different intersectional identities. Over the next few months, we’ll feature member spotlights from across Trevor’s Affinity Groups.

This newsletter, we’re proud to spotlight Recruitment Coordinator and Black@Trevor member, Katherine Dews (she/her). Best piece of advice she's ever received: "You can’t pour from an empty cup."