This Pride Season, we are partnering with The Trevor Project to help support their vital mission of ending LGBTQ youth suicide. Through an amazing force of volunteers, Trevor does this by providing 24/7 crisis counseling via phone, text, and chat.
At SteelSeries, we are committed to inclusivity, accessibility, and equality in gaming, and we strongly endorse The Trevor Project's stance that it is incumbent upon all of us to help create safe, inclusive environments where LGBTQ members of our communities can feel supported.
According to The Trevor Project's 2022 survey of nearly 34.000 LGBTQ youth, 45% of respondents indicated that they seriously considered suicide in the last year. A staggering 60% of them were unable to find the mental health care that they wanted. The majority of the youth also experienced symptoms of anxiety, with a little over half of respondends also noting depression. The pandemic and recent anti-transgender laws passed in certain US states have also had an exacerbating effect.
However, LGBTQ youth who received solid family support reported less than half of attempted suicide rates than those with low or moderate support. Furthermore, those who live in LGBTQ-supportive communities also indicated significantly lower rates of attempting suicide.
That includes gaming communities. You could make a difference in someone's life by being affirming and supportive.
We spoke with Kevin Wong, Vice President of Communications at The Trevor Project, for some tips on how gamers can ensure that they are practicing authentic allyship to the LGBTQ community:
Include and center LGBTQ experiences and voices either as you play a game, in the chat, or on your social media. Amplifying their voices is an authentic way to share their unique experiences with the world.
Educate yourself about LGBTQ people. Learning about LGBTQ identities directly from reliable sources, such as The Trevor Project's resource page, can make it easier to be an ally.
Learn about and respect pronouns. Respecting the language that gamers use to self-identify their gender is not only polite, it can save lives. Using chosen names at home, at school, at work, and with friends can reduce depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behavior. Read about names and pronouns so you can normalize respecting them while you're gaming.
Use your platform. It's okay to use your platform to support LGBTQ people and to help educate others about LGBTQ identities. When LGBTQ gamers see this, it can make them feel seen, valid, and loved, and they'll know they are not alone. However, it is also important to know when to let others speak, and when to raise others' voices.
To learn more about The Trevor Project and their work, visit TheTrevorProject.org.
We will be supporting The Trevor Project and celebrating Pride throughout the month of June. Keep an eye on our Twitter for Pride giveaways and make sure to tune in for our Twitch streams during the month of June. Show Your Pride with SteelSeries during June by checking out our stream schedule and celebrating with us all month long.