Power Move: Carl Nassib’s Trailblazing Decision
On Monday, Carl Nassib became the first active, openly gay player in the NFL. Nassib also announced that he will be donating $100,000 to The Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQI+) young people under 25.
Many fellow NFL stars and executives took to social media to support Nassib.
Much respect brudda ✊🏾 https://t.co/1G2ewVOWje
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) June 21, 2021
Good for you Carl.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 22, 2021
Glad you feel comfortable enough to share and hopefully someday these types of announcements will no longer be considered breaking news. https://t.co/eevr8cgRay
Jon Gruden showing his support for Carl Nassib 👏 pic.twitter.com/dyqKHapBE1
— PFF (@PFF) June 22, 2021
The rate of suicide attempts are four times greater for LGBTQI+ youth, and two times more likely for questioning youth, compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
These numbers are staggering, which is what makes a moment like this so important. Nassib is taking a stand for the millions of people out there who are struggling with mental issues, but don’t feel safe enough to express it.
According to research conducted by The Trevor Project, LGBTQI+ youth who report having at least one accepting adult were 40% less likely to report a suicide.
Representation matters and acceptance matters.
We here at Counseling Services, Inc stand with Carl Nassib, and encourage anyone dealing with mental health issues to seek out professional help.
We stand with Carl Nassib, we stand with you.