2019 TrevorLIVE Gala: Eugene Lee Yang, Mary Lambert & More Express Their Support For The LGBTQ Youth

Her Campus at UCLA had the great honor of covering the red carpet for the Los Angeles TrevorLIVE Gala on November 17 at the Beverly Hilton. The TrevorLIVE Gala is an event honoring The Trevor Project, an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth. We had the opportunity to speak to many wonderful individuals who believe in The Trevor Project’s incredibly important cause. Here are some of the highlights of our evening!

Ashley Morgan and John Flanagan, front members of the band Faultlines, when asked about how they wanted to inspire people, explained that their music was very “forward about wanting to include and accept people,” and that it was “tragic that it isn’t completely commonplace that people find this kind of acceptance.”

Raja, a drag queen and make-up artist, spoke about Stonewall Outloud, an upcoming documentary about the 1969 Stonewall Riots, in which LGBTQ individuals mouth the words of those that participated in the original riots. He explained that the big lesson from Stonewall Outloud was that LGBTQ people sometimes “have to find your own family.”

Revry is a queer owned and operated TV network that livestreamed and broadcasted the gala across the nation. Their main goal was to “allow stories to be told” and to allow people to “see people they identify with so that they don’t feel so alone.” 

Earlier this year, actor Michael D. Cohen disclosed that he transitioned 20 years ago. He shared that the positive feedback he received showed him that “what [he] was doing could actually make an impact.” His advice to LGBTQ youth lacking support was that “things may seem bad in the moment, but moments change…in ways you can’t even imagine.”

The PwC Foundation was one of the presenting sponsors for the event. PwC is “committed to serving underserved communities”. They aim to “make sure that this world is fundamentally better.” Their advice to younger people is to “reach out, ask for help, raise your hand.” 

Mary Lambert’s goal with her new album, Grief Creature, is to “facilitate healing from trauma”. She explained that she wishes The Trevor Project was around “as a beacon of light” when she was coming out. 

Jen Richards, writer and actress, shared that The Trevor Project is important in that it shows queer youth that there is a “big, vibrant [and] lively community” out there. Her main advice is to “mostly just survive, no matter what…because it really does get better.” 

Actress and model Cassandra Cass said she felt that this generation of youth “can change the world” and wanted to help in any way possible. She stated that, as a transgender woman, just “being loud and proud…is changing views.” 

Eugene Lee Yang, best known for his work with Buzzfeed and The Try Guys, said that his main hope was that his audience, “whether they be queer or Asian…can feel like they…[gained] something valuable from watching” his work. 

Alyssa Bonagura and Ruby Stewart of The Sisterhood Band said that it was important for people to be able to talk to others in order to “be healthy…and to exist as human beings.” They explained that, through their music, they wanted to help people “make sense of the world” and “to not feel alone.” 

Make sure to check out our recap video on YouTube and thanks again to the TrevorLIVE Gala for having us! 

• Mary Lambert