NEW YORK - Lil Nas X has been awarded the inaugural Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year Award from the advocacy group The Trevor Project.
The Trevor Project is a non-profit dedicated to suicide prevention and crisis intervention for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning young people.
The group cited Lil Nas X's “openness about struggling with his sexuality and suicidal ideation, his continued advocacy around mental health issues, and his unapologetic celebration of his queer identity.”
In an interview, Amit Paley, C-E-O and executive director at The Trevor Project, said the awareness that the “Old Town Road” artist has brought to suicide prevention and mental health has been “profound.”
Paley says Lil Nas X has done it in a way that has resonated and impacted communities where these conversations are often taboo, but where they are so needed,.
In February, Lil Nas X shared a series of intimate TikTok videos documenting his life story, including his battle with depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation during his rise to fame.
In May, he released a music video which depicts Lil Nas X uplifting a younger version of himself in high school when he was contemplating suicide and struggling to come to terms with his sexuality.
The Trevor Project's national survey on LGBTQ youth mental health in 2021 found that 42 per cent of L-G-B-T-Q youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
