Recent advancements in LGBTQ rights and visibility were unthinkable just a few years ago. From marriage equality to greater LGBTQ visibility in media, popular culture and popular opinion have shifted to be more inclusive, accepting, and open. Yet, despite these gains, life remains a challenge for far too many LGBTQ youth.
The Human Rights Campaign has dubbed 2021 the “worst year for LGBTQ state legislative attacks” since 2015, the year marriage equality became US law. “More than 250 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country in 2021,” HRC notes.
Fortunately, several LGBTQ organizations are working to counter discrimination and meet the needs of young queer people, no matter where they are in the country and in their coming-out journey. I spoke to several of these groups to understand how they use their resources to help queer youth.
The Trevor Project
Since 1998, the Trevor Project has been the largest suicide-prevention and crisis-intervention organization for LGBTQ youth in the world. It has the only 24/7 helpline of its kind in the US, connecting queer youth with trained counselors.
For those who aren’t ready to talk to someone, Trevor Project also has guided meditation calming exercises to help you control your breathing and stay present. Its website also offers numerous resources for coming out that can be helpful for resolving questions within yourself and among friends and family.
Throughout the pandemic, the Trevor Project has also adapted in innovative ways, including by embracing artificial intelligence.
“We launched a counselor training technology called the Crisis Contact Simulator, which will allow us to triple our counselor base in 2021 and reach even more of the 1.8 million-plus LGBTQ youth in the US who we estimate seriously consider suicide each year,” says John Callery, VP of technology at the Trevor Project.
This simulator was supported in partnership with Google.org, using artificial intelligence to more efficiently connect LGBTQ youth at high risk of suicide to trained counselors.
The Trevor Project says that the pandemic has been especially difficult on LGBTQ youth, and part of the reason can be attributed to school closures, leaving many kids “confined to unsupportive or even abusive home environments, resulting in the loss of positive social connections,” Callery says.
Instead, the youth are turning to social media for validation. “Watching LGBTQ People on YouTube and TikTok” were frequently cited as ways LGBTQ youth find joy and strength, according to the Trevor Project’s 2021 national survey.
A Trevor Project counselor can be reached over the phone at 1-866-488-7386 or by texting the word “START” to 678-678.
PFLAG
PFLAG is the first and largest organization in the US aimed at bridging the gap between family and friends of LGBTQ people. They have over 400 chapters in the country to connect families on a regional level in support of their LGBTQ kids.
At the start of the pandemic, PFLAG quickly adapted its mission to go virtual. “Within the span of just five days, we launched PFLAG Connects, which is a way to meet families and our LGBTQ+ loved ones where they are through virtual meetings with local chapter members, live national events like Something to Talk About Live, a weekly PFLAG Connects newsletter, training and educational tools, and advocacy tools to help meet virtually with lawmakers,” says Jamie Curtis, director of chapter engagement at PFLAG.
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“Stay-at-home orders across the country have meant that thousands of families have recently learned not only that their family members are LGBTQ+ but that they have to learn to live together,” she says.
For more information on PFLAG and how to find a local chapter or get in touch, visit the website.
GLAAD
If your goal is to navigate the world of LGBTQ media representation, there’s no better resource than GLAAD. Every year the organization publishes a detailed report on LGBTQ representation in TV.
Additionally, as social media has become a place to connect with much-needed support but also a place to spread hate, GLAAD has worked to make it a safer place for LGBTQ people, who may find themselves confronted with harassment.
“As the influence of social media only continues to expand, GLAAD has also launched an entire Social Media Safety Program," says Rich Ferraro, GLAAD's chief communications officer.
“The program is aimed at growing safer spaces for LGBTQ people on social media platforms and apps as well as develop GLAAD’s public education and watchdog work to hold social media companies accountable to the LGBTQ community.”
Ferraro says, “It is essential to recognize that LGBTQ people still remain disproportionately affected by hate, harassment, and discrimination online, specifically on social media platforms.”
More resources on media reference guides and published GLAAD reports can be found on the organization's website.
Transgender Law Center
Other organizations, like the Transgender Law Center, have catalyzed outreach through virtual events that have brought diverse communities together, especially important in a year that’s seen the highest number of anti-transgender bills introduced in state legislatures in US history. Some of the center's virtual events included The Black Trans Leaders Showing the Way to Liberation, A Virtual Vigil to Hold Grief as a Community, and Disabled, Not a Burden, Not Disposable, says Kris Hayashi, the Center’s executive director. Among the organization’s unique projects was launching a Soundcloud account with guided meditations to support the mental health of the trans community.
The Transgender Law Center’s site has resources for changing one’s name, gender marker, and birth certificate. Most important is the helpdesk, where representatives from the Transgender Law Center are open to answering questions about common legal challenges that trans people may encounter, such as how to correct identity documents. The website aims to be a comprehensive hub not only for information but also for connecting within the diverse tapestry of the trans community.
With one in six adults in Generation Z identifying as LGBT, the need for further support is only growing. Fortunately, there are more resources available than ever before. No matter where you are, there is a community ready to welcome and accept you.
Correction 12/28/21: A previous version of this article included a quote used to describe the Crisis Contact Simulator, which is used to train counselors, but that actually referred to a different risk assessment project The Trevor Projects uses to help LGBTQ youth reach out. The quote has been removed.
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