THE PROJECT

Home

About The
Trevor Project

About The
Trevor Helpline

How to Help a
Suicidal Person

Support Groups
and Resources

How to Make an
Online Donation

The Trevor Helpline
Contributors

THE FILM

Film Synopsis

Awards and
Reviews

Cast and
Crew Credits

About the
Filmmakers

TREVOR
Contributors

How to Purchase
Your Own Copy

 


About The Trevor Helpline

The Trevor Helpline, which can be reached by calling 800-850-8078, is a national 24-hour toll-free suicide prevention hotline aimed at gay or questioning youth. The Trevor Helpline is geared toward helping those in crisis, or anyone wanting information on how to help someone in crisis. All calls are handled by trained counselors, and are free and confidential.

The Trevor Helpline was established by the The Trevor Project in August 1998 to coincide with the HBO airing of TREVOR, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. TREVOR is the award-winning short film about a 13-year old boy named Trevor who, when rejected by friends and peers as he begins to come to terms with his sexuality, makes an unsuccessful attempt at suicide.

When TREVOR was scheduled to air on HBO, the film's creators began to realize that some of the program's teen viewers might be facing the same kind of crisis as Trevor, and they began to search for a support line to help them. When they discovered that no national 24-hour toll-free suicide hotline existed that was geared toward gay youth, they decided to establish one and began the search for funding.

Thanks to a generous startup grant from The Colin Higgins Foundation, The Trevor Helpline was born, and the search for funding continues to maintain the site on a permanent basis. (If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, click here to find out how.)

The film's creators were also lucky enough to secure the services of Dr. Jay Nagdimon, an expert in the area of suicide prevention, to manage the hotline. Dr. Nagdimon is director of the Suicide Prevention Center (SPC) in Los Angeles. Prior to his tenure at the SPC, Dr. Nagdimon founded the Lambda Youth Network, a nonprofit organization providing outreach and HIV education to gay, lesbian and bisexual youth. In addition, he supervised the Adolescent Suicide Prevention Project for the Family Service of Los Angeles, and he authored Adolescent Suicide Prevention Project, a teacher's guide for presenting suicide prevention material to youth. Dr. Nagdimon is also a past contributor to Oasis Magazine, an online publication for sexual minority youth.

The Trevor Helpline was designed to help those in crisis and, like the film, give hope where it's needed.