Fandom Trumps Hate

Since 2009, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act began requiring the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to collect data concerning hate crimes committed by or directed against juveniles, and in 2013 the FBI began reporting the number of victims aged 18+ as well. 5,803 individuals were reported as victims of hate crimes in the US in 2017, and of those, 1,102 had been victimised because of bias against sexual/gender identity.(1)

The US, however, does not require a mandatory report on hate crimes, and furthermore, a hate crime label is only applicable “when a law enforcement investigation reveals sufficient evidence to lead a reasonable and prudent person to conclude that the offender’s actions were motivated, in whole or in part, by his or her bias”. (2) Which is all to say that the number of LGBTQIAP+ people who have been targeted by hate crimes in the US is likely to be much higher. This statistic also doesn’t account for things like bullying, deadnaming, erasure, online harassment or microaggressions; it doesn’t account for unreported crimes and non-criminal actions. It doesn’t relay the fear of being outed publicly, the constant process of coming out, the dangers of living as out, or the loneliness of being closeted.

Under the Trump administration, references to LGBTQIAP+ people have been erased from the White House website.(3) The LGBTQIAP+ community was erased from the National Survey of Older Americans, the government budget cut funding to HIV and AIDS research, the Health Department is taking steps to dismantle LGBT health initiatives,(4) guidance protecting transgender youth in schools was rescinded, World AIDS Day passed without any mention of the LGBTQIAP+ community, and Trump continues his attempt to ban transgender people from the military. (5) (6) (7) Just today – January 22nd – the Supreme Court upheld the administration’s right to enforce the ban. (8)

These setbacks in rights and public disavowals, as well as the looming threat of discrimination and violence, can negatively affect the mental health of the LGBTQIAP+ community, in particular youth who may be more vulnerable due to the developing nature of their sexual and gender identities as well as their reliance upon legal guardians.

The Trevor Project is a US nonprofit organization founded in 1998 that focuses on suicide prevention efforts and crisis intervention services for LGBTQ youth aged 13-24. In 1994, producers Peggy Rajski and Randy Stone invited James Lecesne to adapt his WORD OF MOUTH character, Trevor, into a short film. The Oscar-winning film eventually launched a national movement, as Rajski discovered there was no real place for young people like Trevor to turn to, and so along with Lecesne, recruited and funded and figured out the infrastructure for the Trevor Lifeline, the first free 24/7 lifeline in the US, which was launched in 1998 the first part of the Trevor Project.(9) (10)

The Trevor Project now operates The Trevor Lifeline; a free, confidential service that offers trained counselors 24/7, plus instant message and text services manned by volunteer trained counselors. The Trevor Project runs a number of different trainings and as well as these lifelines, in addition to supplying guidance and resources to parents and educators in order to foster safe, accepting, and inclusive environments for all youth, at home and at school. The Trevor Project is also committed to producing innovative research that brings new knowledge and clinical implications to the field of suicidology. Since the establishment of Trevor Project, 100,000s of youth have reached out to its services, and as the recent surge of calls after Trump’s memo to erase any recognition of transgender people under federal law can attest, (13) it continues to be an important service for those in crisis. (11) (12)

The Trevor Project is a tax deductible 501(c)3 charitable organisation.

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Citations:

[1] "Victims". FBI, https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2017/topic-pages/victims.
[2] “Methodology”. FBI, ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2017/resource-pages/methodology.
[3] Main, Sami. “White House Website Scrubbed of LGBT, Climate Change, Healthcare and Civil Rights Mentions”. Adweek, 20 Jan. 2017, www.adweek.com/digital/white-house-website-scrubbed-lgbt-climate-change-healthcare-and-civil-rights-mentions-175677/.
[4] Ellis, Sarah Kate. “How President Trump Has Affected LGBTQ RIghts.” Time, 16 Jan. 2018, time.com/5104657/donald-trump-lgbt-rights/.
[5] Diamond, Dan. “Trump Administration Dismantles LGBT-Friendly Policies”. POLITICO, 19 Feb. 2018, www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/trump-lgbt-rights-discrimination-353774.
[6] “LGBTQ Community Would Be 'Hard Hit' by Trump's 2018 Budget.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 29 May 2017, www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/lgbtq-community-would-be-hard-hit-trump-s-2018-budget-n765141.
[7] “D.C. Circuit Court Sides with Trump on Trans Military Ban.” Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta News, 6 Jan. 2019, thegavoice.com/news/d-c-circuit-court-sides-with-trump-on-trans-military-ban/.
[8] “Trevor Lends a 24-Hour Ear to Youth.” The Advocate, 13 Oct. 1998, p. 14, https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=cWMEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA14&ots=6ROkFPBoia&dq=Trevor+lends+a+24-hour+ear+to+youth&pg=PA14&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
[9] "Supreme Court allows Trump restrictions on transgender troops in military to go into effect as legal battle continues," Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-allows-trump-restrictions-on-transgender-troops-in-military-to-go-into-effect-as-legal-battle-continues/2019/01/22/e68a7284-1763-11e9-88fe-f9f77a3bcb6c_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.42586ce98a18
[10] “About the Trevor Project: History & Film”. The Trevor Project, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/about/history-film/#sm.0000sotnk812t5fl7vxlhwpeur8si
[11] “About the Trevor Project: Programs & Services”. The Trevor Project, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/about/programs-services/#sm.0000sotnk812t5fl7vxlhwpeur8si
[12] “About the Trevor Project: Research”. The Trevor Project, https://www.thetrevorproject.org/about/research/#sm.0000sotnk812t5fl7vxlhwpeur8si
[13] Ford, Zack. “Transgender people turned to safety hotlines in droves in response to Trump’s erasure memo”. ThinkProgress, 30 Oct. 2018, https://thinkprogress.org/trans-erasure-memo-causes-spike-calls-lgbtq-safety-hotlines-70508959958e/