'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe makes major donation to The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project, the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, reports that Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has made a substantial donation to the Project.

"I am very pleased to begin my support of The Trevor Project, which saves lives every day through its critical work," Radcliffe is quoted as saying in a Trevor Project press release (this link is a pdf). "It's extremely distressing to consider that in 2009 suicide is a top three killer of young people, and it's truly devastating to learn that LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. I deeply hope my support can raise the organization's visibility so even more despondent youth become aware of The Trevor Helpline's highly trained counselors and Trevor's many other resources. It's vitally important that young people understand they are not alone and, perhaps even more important, that their young lives have real value."

Youth who express their gender in non-traditional ways, who do not live up to the strict expectations for "masculine" and "feminine" behavior, or who are subject to bullying based on perceptions by peers are particularly vulnerable, and the results can be tragic, as in the case of youth like Carl Walker.

And Paul Cody, Ph.D., of the University of New Hampshire Counseling Center, reports that some studies indicate the rate of attempted suicide for transgender youth is higher than 50 percent.

There are resources available, and The Trevor Project is one of them. Get more information at www.thetrevorproject.org, and if you are a youth who needs help, or you know someone who does, call their 24-hour national Helpline at 866-488-7386 to speak to a trained counselor.