I'm a Hag - Sue Me

You may have picked up by this point in time that I have a lot of gay friends. Like a lot. Like a whole lot. By definition, this makes me a hag. I don't mind the label one bit, in fact I revel in it, wear it as a badge of honor. In the Hag Hierarchy, I think I'm pretty high up there.

1. Margaret Cho
2. Kathy Griffin
3. Pam Ann
4. Gretchen McNeil

Okay, that may not be an "official" ranking, but I'm pretty confident that I'd crack the Top Ten.

My haginess started way back in elementary school. The boys who would later come out of the closet were some of my best friends. If you had a crush on me in Junior High School, I can pretty much tell you in all certainty that you are a gay man. By college I was like a magnet for boys who needed to tell someone - anyone - that they were gay. My legend grew.

But this post isn't about me (well, okay a little. I can't stop myself!) What I wanted to discuss today is my favorite non-profit organization in the whole wide world: The Trevor Project.

The Trevor Project is the only 24/7 suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning) teens. Almost everyone involved in this organization - from the founders to the counsellors - are volunteers, giving huge amounts of time and energy to a cause they feel so strongly about. My best friend Roy is one of the crisis counselors and I am amazed every day by his level of dedication, compassion and community.

The Trevor Project began with the 1994 Oscar-winning short film Trevor about a gay 13-year-old boy who, when rejected by friends because of his sexuality, makes an attempt to take his life. You may not know this, but LGBTQ teens are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers and it is estimated that one third of all teen suicides self-identify as LGBTQ. When you break down the numbers, that approximately three gay teens a day taking their own lives.

Unacceptable!

Back when I was a kid, there was no resource like The Trevor Project and my friends who are out will readily tell you the fear with which they approached friends and loved ones with their truth. And even though we've come a LONG way since the mid-90's (think about how many positive gay role models exist in the media now as opposed to then with the popularity of shows like Will and Grace and Glee depicting the varying colors and shades of the LGBTQ community) teens are still feeling estranged from their families and peers when it comes to revealing their sexual orientation.

I'm preaching. I know I am, but I kind of don't care.

Trevor has grown by leaps and bounds in the last ten years. The annual operating budget has gone from $45,000 to over $1.5 million, the office staff from one person to 25. With recent high-profile donations from celebrities like Daniel Radcliffe, and an exploding multimedia presence including Facebook, Twitter and an upcoming chat feature that will allow LGBTQ teens to connect to their peers throughout the country, Trevor is on the brink of going big time.

But that doesn't mean they still don't need your help.

I won't tell you what to do. People who fundamentally believe that homosexuality is a damnable sin (a) probably don't read my blog and (b) wouldn't be sway by any arguments I could give to the contrary. But the reason I'm posting this today - aside from getting the word out about the wonderful cause that is Trevor - is to let you know that if you are looking for a charitable organization for your annual holiday donation, I beg you to look over the literature on the Trevor website and consider them this year.

/rant