Celebrities lend their star power to The Trevor Project in sign on letter
In the heights of various legislation currently being passed by the Trump administration in an effort to eliminate LGBTQ+ services such as free HIV/ STI testing, suicide prevention hotlines, and gender affirming care; celebrities are using their names and influence to help.
Over 100 public figures such as Amber Mark, Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa, Dwayne Wayde, Gabrielle Union and Doechii have all come together across the entertainment industry to support The Trevor Project in an open letter to protect federal funding for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention. Founded in 1998, the nonprofit organization has played a pivotal role in providing mental health support to young LGBTQ+ people.
“I am deeply grateful to the influential voices in entertainment who are speaking out and reminding the public that suicide prevention is about people – not politics,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project. “It is clinical best practice for highly trained counselors to provide competent care to high-risk communities, including LGBTQ+ youth and veterans. LGBTQ+ young people disproportionately experience rejection, stigma, and discrimination, and are navigating a world that too often tells them they don’t belong.”
In a statement provided to Our Weekly, Black went on to say, “We must send a louder message back: millions of people are fighting for you to lead the happy, healthy lives you deserve. The Trevor Project will continue working with anyone committed to LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and to protecting the federal funding that helps save young LGBTQ+ lives every day.”
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Trump administration has now discontinued the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifleine which is specifically for LGBTQ+ youth once they press option 3.
In a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in November 2024, LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to suffer in comparison to their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts in the following areas:
Experienced bullying at school: 29 percent
LGBTQ+ students, 16 percent cisgender and
heterosexual students
Used illicit drugs: 15 percent LGBTQ+ stu-
dents, 8 percent cisgender and heterosexual
students
Seriously considered suicide: 41 percent
LGBTQ students, 13 percent cisgender and
heterosexual students
Felt sad or hopeless: 65 percent LGBTQ+ stu-
dents, 31 percent cisgender and heterosexual
students
Been forced to have sex: 17 percent LGBTQ+
students, 6 percent cisgender and heterosexual
students
Misused prescription opioids: 18 percent
LGBTQ+ students, 8 percent cisgender and
heterosexual students
In addition to celebrities amplifying the urgency of protecting and assisting organizational effort from the Trevor Project, more than 100 GoFundMes have also been launched with money raised going directly to the organization to keep its services active.
Ese Asan, a spokeperson for GoFundMe, says “At GoFundMe, we’re committed to empowering people to take action for the causes they care about. Our platform makes it safe and easy to launch and support fundraisers, helping communities respond quickly in moments of need.”
He continued, “since January 2024, organizers have raised more than $1.2 million through individual fundraisers on GoFundMe to support the LGBTQ+ community.”
Steven Lawson, a GoFundMe organizer supporting the Trevor Project, launched the Rainbow Bowl last year and has raised over $1,500 so far. The Rainbow Bowl is a fantasy football tournament that raises funds for youth who rely on the services provided by the Trevor Project.
“I wanted to be a voice like I would have wanted when I was younger, and do something that would have helped me when I was struggling with coming out and understanding who I was.”
He continued, “We donated a few thousand to the Trevor Project last year. We’re donating a few thousand this year, just through this GoFundMe. And it’s all because I just want to see queer kids become queer adults. Right now, with the administration chopping the 988 suicide hotline, it’s making it more and more dangerous for queer kids to exist.”
The sign on letter can be found at www.thetrevorproject.org/blog/page/2/ and the Rainbow Bowl GoFundMe can be found at https://gofund.me/6d04747a
