Hello, as you know my name is Abi Hamilton, aka Shortman Hams, and I am an out and proud queer person. I’ve talked multiple times on this website about my journey with dealing with getting outed in 8th grade, dealing with the bullying and comments from ignorant idiots, accepting myself, and becoming the person I am today.
I am happy now. It took a long time to get here. It took a long time for me to get over all the voices in my head telling me horrible things about myself, telling me that maybe things would be better and easier for everyone if I wasn’t here. It took a long, long time. I was lonely, realizing your LGBT+ in your youth can sadly feel that way sometimes. I didn’t have the great friends I have now to rely upon, hell some of the worst things said to me were by people I called friends at the time. I didn’t come out to my family until 4 years after I was outed when I was 18. I planned that so if it caused a problem, I could legally run away. These are things I had to think about and plan out as a teenager because you never knew how someone would react or what they would do. Sadly, I’m not the only one. This is a problem almost every LGBT+ kid has to think about. For a lot of my youth, when it came to dealing with all of those negative thoughts surrounding my sexuality, I felt completely and utterly alone. But, there was one place to turn to.
I discovered the Trevor Project when I was about 14 or 15. The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit that focuses on suicide prevention among LGBT+ young people under the age of 25. They have a 24/7 toll-free hotline that offers support to LGBT+ youth around the country in the times they may need it most. The Trevor Project also does a yearly national survey on suicide and mental health in LGBT+ youth. Every year it absolutely breaks my heart to read. Here are some stats from the 2021 survey:
This is why the Trevor Project is here, to help save the lives of thousands of young kids who feel alone and have nowhere to turn. I was blessed with an accepting family and a great group of friends. I got low but I was able to get back up because of organizations like the Trevor Project.
So through the month of April, I will be doing the Trevor Project’s 50 Mile Challenge. I am going to walk 50 (or more) miles in the month of April to raise money for The Trevor Project. So far I have walked 7 miles and raised $335. I am thankful for everyone who has shared and donated to the cause and with this fundraiser, I want to do so much more. I want to help the Trevor Project keep running to help more people and make this world better for LGBT+ youth who come after me. Once I got out of the thicket of my high school years, I looked back and knew that I never, ever wanted another kid to feel the way I felt. I never wanted anyone else to feel like killing themselves is the only way out, never wanted them to feel ashamed because they’re bi, gay, trans, nonbinary – you name it. Help me accomplish that mission.
The fundraiser has to be run through Facebook so here is a link to my fundraiser page. I’ll be raising the money through the month of April so there is plenty of time. Even if you can’t donate, sharing this blog or the page would mean a lot. Not only for this specific fundraiser but for the Trevor Project as a whole. You never know what someone in your life is going through and maybe the Project can help.
Thank you for letting me get on my soapbox and share this story with you. Thank you for helping me change the lives of thousands of LGBT+ youth who just need some help getting through the tough times. You can visit the Trevor Project’s website and learn more here.
Find more at ham-sports.com
Visit our shop here
Tweet me @shortman_hams
Tweet us @ham_sports
Featured Image: Influenster.com
Ham Sports 