The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention non-profit organization for LGBTQ youths, has named Jaymes Black as its new CEO. Black is the organization’s first Black and first nonbinary CEO.
Black’s mission is to make the whole of America feel safe and accepting of LGBTQ youth and families. During her childhood, they were mocked so mercilessly for being a lesbian in high school that they dropped out. After obtaining their GED at 21, Black worked their way up the corporate ladder, working for companies like Charles Schwab, Sabre Corp., and Northrop Grumman. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Black had a moment of clarity where they felt it was time to do more for the LGBTQ community.
“I’m thinking to myself: ‘You are a high school dropout. Yes, you finished your bachelor’s degree. Yes, you have a master’s degree, but you’re here in corporate America. You were never supposed to be here. How could you possibly be thinking about leaving corporate America?’” Black said of their decision. “But during the pandemic, I had a bit of clarity, and I wanted to do something different that was more aligned with my values, that was more heartfelt. And I found that in Family Equality.”
Family Equality is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing equality for LGBTQ families. Black served as president and CEO before accepting the position at The Trevor Project. In this new role, they are excited to continue creating a safer environment for the LGBTQ community nationwide. “I do want the youth to know that we will do everything that we can to continue to protect them,” they said.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, state lawmakers have introduced 527 bills targeting LGBTQ people, particularly trans youth, as of this month. These bills propose the restriction of trans students’ participation in school sports, limit access to transition-related medical care, and ban classroom discussion or instruction on LGBTQ topics.
A poll conducted by Morning Consult in 2022 found that these political moves have directly affected the mental health of nonbinary and trans youth. 86% of trans and nonbinary youths reported that the recent debate surrounding these bills negatively affected their mental health, with 41% of LGBTQ youth saying that they had seriously considered suicide in the past year.
Cyberbullying also emerged as a significant factor affecting LGBTQ youth. 45% of trans youth reported that they had experienced cyberbullying directly related to political debates over the past year. “As bad as my story sounds, I can’t imagine what our youth are going through today,” Black said. “I didn’t have the internet. I didn’t have text messaging. Many of the things that they have to deal with, on top of already being isolated, rejected, bullied, that is what’s at the top of my mind. How do we ensure that people understand that we must protect our youth? How do people understand that protecting our youth transcends politics?”
Black plans to use their own experience to spread awareness for what many teens are experiencing today. “I want to be a part of creating a safe America,” they said.
