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NFL player Carl Nassib made history when he announced he was gay, but also used the moment to cast a spotlight on a nonprofit that’s close to his heart.
In a video posted on Instagram
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the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end became the first active professional football player in the U.S. to come out as gay. He also said he was donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth.
Nassib, 28, said, “I really have the best life. I’ve got the best family, friends and job a guy could ask for.” He added that he hoped “one day videos like this and the whole coming-out process are just not necessary, but until then I’m going to do my best and do my part to cultivate a culture that’s accepting and that’s compassionate and I’m going to start by donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project.”
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The Trevor Project saw a 350% surge in traffic to its website in the wake of Carl Nassib’s announcement.
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Nassib urged fans to follow his lead, describing The Trevor Project as an “incredible organization.” The West Hollywood, Calif.-based nonprofit runs the Trevor Lifeline (1-866-488-7386), which it describes as the only “national 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQ young people under 25,” and TrevorChat , a “free, confidential, secure instant messaging service for LGBTQ youth that provides live help from trained volunteer counselors, open daily.”
It also offers suicide prevention trainings for adults, including workshops specifically for school faculty.
The Trevor Project saw a “significant increase” in donations and a 350% surge in traffic to its website in the wake of Nassib’s announcement, spokesman Kevin Wong for the group told MarketWatch.
The Trevor Project, founded in 1998, is one of several highly-rated charities focused on LGBTQ issues, according to the charity rating website Charity Navigator. In observance of Pride Month, Charity Navigator compiled a list of more than 40 nonprofits working to support LGBTQ people on various fronts, including legal services, health care and advocacy.
Other highly-rated LGBTQ nonprofits
Openhouse. This San Francisco-based nonprofit provides housing and services for older LGBTQ+ people.
Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice. This New York-based foundation founded in 1977 has given out more than $40 million in grants to organizations that advance LGBTQ+ human rights in the U.S. and around the world.
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. The Oakland, Calif. nonprofit works with Fortune 1000 companies to achieve LGBTQ equality in the workplace.
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. This global nonprofit is a “scientific research organization that develops vaccines and antibodies for HIV, tuberculosis, emerging infectious diseases (including COVID-19),” according to its website.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). This group of lawyers takes on legal cases related to LGBTQ rights and uses “strategic litigation, public policy advocacy and education” to move toward “a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.”
‘Small window to achieve greatness’
Nassib said in his Instagram video that he thinks “representation and visibility are so important,” and added that he “only has a small window to achieve greatness.” NFL careers typically last only a few years. Nassib’s most recent three-year contract was for $25.25 million.
“The Trevor Project is grateful to Carl Nassib for living his truth and supporting LGBTQ youth,” said The Trevor Project CEO and executive director Amit Paley in a statement posted on the group’s website. “This generous donation will help us scale our life-saving crisis services to reach the more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth who seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S.”
Paley added that in a national survey conducted by The Trevor Project last year, more than 80% of young LGBTQ people said that celebrities who are LGBTQ “positively impact how they feel about being LGBTQ.”
And the most recent Trevor Project donations reflect that. “Some of the donations even have heartwarming notes referencing Carl’s coming out, showing acceptance for LGBTQ young people, and supporting LGBTQ youth mental health,” Wong said.
