The Trevor Project is an organization that advocates for LGBT acceptance in the name of preventing suicides of LGBT people, especially youths. It claims that LGBT teenagers who have supportive parents are far less likely to commit suicide.

It has provided funds to 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a suicide-prevention hotline for LGBT youths.

Programs

The Trevor Project hosts resources for LGBT youths on its website. In addition to hotlines for counseling and immediate help, the website has educational material about sexual orientation, mental health, suicide, and gender identity. Its page on gender identity says, “Gender Identity is a key part of understanding your most authentic self.” It provides lengthy guides on topics such as “Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People,” containing a glossary of terms like “Misgendering,” “Microaggressions,” and “Passing.” It also states: “there is no “right” age to understand your identity. Some people know their gender from a very young age.” ^{1 2}

Lifeline Layoff Controversy

According to LGBT-focused news outlet The Advocate, the Trevor Project had talent agency Insight Global form a contract with 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a suicide and mental health hotline for LGBT people managed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a subsidiary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to help struggling LGBT youths. Since September 2022, the Trevor Project had been offering specialized call and text support for “LGBTQI+ youth and young adults under the age of 25.” In June 2023, Insight Global announced layoffs of staff working on the hotline; employees claimed the manner in which they were informed “put their own psychological well-being at risk.” ³

According to two hotline employees who spoke to The Advocate, Insight Global apparently sent an invitation to a video meeting with 2 hours’ notice. In the meeting, representatives of the agency told them they would be fired as of July 2 and had disabled the chat feature to prevent the attendees from voicing criticism. One employee said it had “just really been disheartening” for the layoff decision to be made “during some of the most historically worst years for LGBTQ+ people.” ⁴

The employees said the “mass layoffs” had nothing to do with lack of work, as volume of calls and texts was very high due to the hotline being used “widely.” Press Secretary for the Biden White House Karine Jean-Pierre had advertised the hotline during an April 2023 press briefing, saying “I want to say directly to LGBTQI+ kids – you are loved just as you are, just the way you are. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you call 988.” President Joe Biden himself then mentioned the hotline during a Pride Month picnic at the White House in June 2023. ⁵

According to The Advocate, which spoke to SAMHSA, the Trevor Project’s “pilot program” featuring specialized text and call support with 988 Lifeline was planned to conclude on July 3, 2023, and merge the program into 988’s permanent activities. It claimed that the program would significantly expand its workforce and acquire seven permanent call centers, including the Trevor Project. ⁶

Then-CEO of the Trevor Project Peggy Rajski told The Advocate that her organization had nothing to do with the layoffs, as those positions had been contracted out to Insight Global. ⁷

Financials

In 2021, the Trevor Project had a revenue of $64,964,527, total expenses of $57,519,920, and net assets of $54,888,420. ⁸

1. “Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People.” The Trevor Project. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/guide/a-guide-to-being-an-ally-to-transgender-and-nonbinary-youth/
2. “Resources About Gender Identity.” The Trevor Project. Accessed November 11, 2023. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/category/gender-identity/.
3. Wiggins, Christopher. “Trevor Project-Contracted Agency Lays Off 988 Suicide Crisis Counselors.” Advocate, June 28, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2023.  https://www.advocate.com/health/trevor-project-988-layoffs-contractors.
4. Wiggins, Christopher. “Trevor Project-Contracted Agency Lays Off 988 Suicide Crisis Counselors.” Advocate, June 28, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2023.  https://www.advocate.com/health/trevor-project-988-layoffs-contractors.
5. Wiggins, Christopher. “Trevor Project-Contracted Agency Lays Off 988 Suicide Crisis Counselors.” Advocate, June 28, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2023.  https://www.advocate.com/health/trevor-project-988-layoffs-contractors.
6. Wiggins, Christopher. “Trevor Project-Contracted Agency Lays Off 988 Suicide Crisis Counselors.” Advocate, June 28, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2023.  https://www.advocate.com/health/trevor-project-988-layoffs-contractors.
7. Wiggins, Christopher. “Trevor Project-Contracted Agency Lays Off 988 Suicide Crisis Counselors.” Advocate, June 28, 2023. Accessed November 11, 2023.  https://www.advocate.com/health/trevor-project-988-layoffs-contractors.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). The Trevor Project. 2021. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.