A-LISTS community spotlight by jared cox
Over the past few months, we have seen an increase in LGBT teen suicides across the country. People are finally taking notice of the tragedy that is caused by homophobic abuse in the homes and schools of gay youth. Wednesday, October 20, purple shirts, purple Facebook icons, and purple ribbons were seen from coast to coast to show support of “Spirit Day” to honor gay teens who lost all hope and ended their lives through suicide. “Spirit Day” was started by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan, who used her Tumblr account to spark a wildfire of response and support from not only her country, but from the United States and around the world. McMillan’s cam- paign shed light not only on gay teen suicide, but also presented a platform for established crisis and suicide prevention organizations to provide information to family and friends of gay youth. One such
organization is The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is a leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide
prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. The main goal of The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LGBT youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources including a nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe and supportive environment for everyone in need. The Trevor Project was founded by writer James Lecesne, director/producer Peggy
Rajski and producer Randy Stone, creators of the 1994 Academy Award-winning short film, Trevor, a dramatic comedy about a gay 13-year-old boy, who when rejected by friends because of his sexuality, makes an attempt to take his life. They decided to dedicate themselves to forming what was, in their view, a much- needed resource: an organization to promote acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, and to aid in crisis and suicide prevention among that group. Thus, The Trevor Project was born, and with seed-funding provided by The Colin Higgins Foundation, The Trevor Lifeline was established and became the first and only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Volunteers are the backbone of The Trevor Project. A dedicated team of volunteers helps in every aspect of the organization from programs to communications, to devel- opment and special events. One volunteer making a difference with the Los Angeles Trevor Project is Lisa Brende. Lisa is both a board member and a Lifeline Counselor. In her role as a board member, she helps steer the direction of the service offerings of The Trevor Project to the LGBT youth community in the LA area. Lisa Brende, 32, is a proud lesbian and a strong advocate for LGBT youth. Lisa has been working as a Lifeline Counselor since February of 2008. Lifeline Counselors pro- vide 24/7 telephone counseling for young people looking for someone to listen and understand without judgment. If a teen is unable to speak on the phone, The Trevor Project provides an online chat called TrevorChat where troubled youth can confiden- tially and securely chat online with Lifeline Counselors for non-suicidal questions or concerns. Prior to working the Lifeline, Lisa completed 40 hours of training over the course of
four weekends. Lisa was coached by The Trevor Project staff on how to handle the wide range of calls from troubled LGBT youth through several rounds of role-play and lec- tures by guest speakers from the healthcare community. Lisa decided to work on the line because of her own personal coming-out experience at the age of 16. She states, “I didn’t have any adults that I felt comfortable speaking to about my experience. So many of our callers feel this same way, and that’s why they call us at The Trevor Project.” The Trevor Project Board of Directors, Executive Director Charles Robbins, and event
Co-Chairs Warren Cohn and Bill Harrison are hosting Trevor Live at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunday, December 5. The annual west coast fundraiser is an evening of irreverent comedy and music in support of the life-saving work of The Trevor Project. For more information, please visit
thetrevorproject.org. For The Trevor Lifeline suicide hotline, please dial 866.4-U.Trevor.
THE TREVOR PROJECT AND LISA 14 RAGE monthly | NOVEMBER 2010 BRENDE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
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