FROM PRIDE TO PAIN

Dear JQY Family and Friends,

It is with great sadness that we share the news of yet another Jewish queer teenager who died by suicide. This precious South African young man (unnamed for privacy), took his own life while on an Israel trip. In a message shared widely on social media, the boy’s parents described their “devastation and heartbreak”, saying that before his death, their son had written a letter on his phone sharing his reasons for taking his life.

“He explained that he was struggling with his place in the world, his transition into adulthood, his identity and with his sexuality. He felt his pain was too deep to live with,” they said.
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Suicide rates are found to markedly higher among Orthodox LGBTQ youth. However, studies have shown that the risk is not related to their level of religiosity but instead correlated to the perceived rejection that someone experiences. Simply put; Orthodox LGBTQ youth must know that they belong and that they are not alone. Their lives depend on it.

This is a quiet emergency that is getting louder and louder every day.

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This is the reason that JQY exists. Through our teen Drop-in Centers, crisis line, free mental health counseling and school/therapist trainings, we are committed to ensuring that no more Jewish queer youth from Orthodox homes fall through the cracks. JQY is the only mental health organization in the world that focuses on LGBTQ youth from Orthodox Jewish homes. We are a lifeline for Jewish teens with nowhere else to go. But these teens don’t just rely on JQY, they depend on you. We need your help to bring JQY resources to every Jewish community. 

 

ENOUGH FUNERALS!

It is time to make a real difference. It is time to significantly give to those who do not yet have access to Pride. It is time to expand JQY. 

Please support our “You Belong” campaign.

  • $20,000 – help us open new teen Drop-in Center locations
  • $10,000 – help us hire more mental health professionals for Drop-in sessions and our crisis line
  • $5,000 – help us spread awareness of our resources so that the teens who need us most know that we exist
  • $1,000 – help us train Orthodox therapists and educators to become competent in LGBTQ sensitivity
  • $250/month – help us offer private mental health counseling to LGBTQ Jewish teens 
  • $100/month – help us pay for transportation for teens who need to get to JQY resources
  • $50/month – help us provide kosher food at the Drop-in centers
  • $25/month – help us provide health and wellness materials at the Drop-in Centers
  • $18/month – help us sustain our life-saving work a little at a time. 

If you don’t invest in LGBTQ Jewish youth from Orthodox, Chassidic, and Sephardi/Mizrachi homes, who will?

Together we stop the funerals. Together we can turn pain into pride.

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With love,

The JQY Team

*Checks can be made out to JQY and sent to JQY, 1460 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. You can also donate online at www.jqyouth/donate or fb.com/jqyouth.