Growing up we were all told to be ourselves, to be proud of who are, and not to let anyone bring us down because of it. But for many people, being themselves gets them ostracized by friends, classmates, and sometimes even families, leaving them alone and often hopeless, leading many to commit suicide. That’s why the Trevor Project aims to prevent suicide in LGBTQ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered Questioning) youth and why Julian De La Paz is part of their Youth Advisory Council.
During Julian’s senior year of high school he came out to family and friends for the first time about his sexuality. Since then he is proud of who he is and says he misses the days when he could tell people he was gay because he truly enjoyed coming out. Even so, Julian recognized how hard it was for him not to be honest about who he was to people and wanted to find a way to get more involved with the LGBTQ community.
This led him to apply to the Trevor Project’s Youth Advisory Council. The Council is composed of about twenty people around the nation with some high school students but mostly college students. They meet once a year to plan what they’re going to do throughout the year. Each member is required to do four projects aimed at the LGBTQ community. Julian plans to work with GU Pride on campus for one of his projects and he also plans to do another project back home in El Paso, Texas.
The Trevor Project also acts as a suicide hotline for teenagers that may be feeling suicidal, whether they are gay, straight, transgender, etc. Julian says he loves working with the Council. “I have heard great stories. A lot of people on the council used the hotline and [their lives] were saved.”
Photo Credit: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/YAC
Last year at the Youth Advisory Council’s conference in New York City, Julian and the rest of the council got to see Daniel Radcliffe perform in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Afterwards, they got to meet Daniel Radcliffe, who has been a partner with the Trevor project for the past three years. According to Julian, Daniel is, “the most down to Earth guy you could ever meet.”
In addition to being a part of the Youth Advisory Council, Julian also participates in prison outreach, is one of the assistant photo editors for The Voice, is part of the Agony, Ant, and Uncle Fashion Show Committee, and has a WGTB Radio Show called Two Yanks and a Brit with two of friends. You can listen to their show on georgetownradio.com on Wednesdays at 10 PM.