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Cybill Shepherd and Hayley Kiyoko Receive Top Honors at Trevor Project’s TrevorLive Gala

LGBTQ trailblazers Cybill Shepherd and Hayley Kiyoko were honored with the Champion Award and the Youth Innovator Award, respectively, at The Trevor Project‘s TrevorLIVE LA Gala on Sunday (November 17), where they delivered emotional and inspiring speeches that encouraged people both in attendance and at home to help prevent the current generation from taking their own life because of their sexuality.

Hosted by Zazie Beetz and Sasheer Zamata at The Beverly Hilton, the event raised $1.2 million for the organization, while sharing the news that PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc is investing $6 million in the nonprofit’s mission. 

For those of you who don’t know, The Trevor Project is the world’s largest organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as a peer-to-peer social network support for LGBTQ young people under the age of 25, TrevorSpace.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: Jane Lynch presents Cybill Shepherd with the Champion Award onstage during The Trevor Project’s TrevorLIVE LA 2019 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 17, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for The Trevor Project)

In her speech, Champion Award honoree Cybill Shepherd tearfully thanked her late sister, who was unable to live openly as a lesbian. “No, my sister did not have the support that these young people will be getting from this wonderful, wonderful organization; and so, I want to thank everyone here tonight, because we all have in our lives people that we would have liked to have saved.” Shepherd continued, “My sister lived the life she wanted to live, but she didn’t live it openly. Gladys Terry Shepherd, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for the honor of being here tonight.”

Shepherd received the award from actress Jane Lynch, who told Celeb Secrets why she truly loves supporting the organization every year.

“I love this organization because they are a refuge to kids all over the country who feel alone, marginalized and misunderstood by their friends and families,” Lynch said to Celeb Secrets. “For some of these kids, it’s downright dangerous to express who God made them as and The Trevor Project is a place where they can pick up the phone and get some great advice even if they just need comfort or somebody to talk to.”

Known for her role as Sue Sylvester on the hit show Glee, Lynch is no stranger when it comes to working on projects that raise awareness to sensitive topics, as the series was one of the first of its kind to do so during its run from 2009-2015.

“If ‘Glee’ was on air today, I think the violence against transgender individuals is a topic that would have been explored on the show,” she says. “It’s a really big problem and very heartbreaking, and I know [Ryan Murphy] would have written a story about that.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: Youth Innovator Award winner Hayley Kiyoko speaks onstage during The Trevor Project’s TrevorLIVE LA 2019 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 17, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for The Trevor Project)

Hayley Kiyoko accepted the Youth Innovator Award, stating: “So many LGBTQ youth don’t have that same support in their own communities. It is our duty to share our strength to help guide the ones that get lost in the dark. I’m very proud to be standing here today, and I thank you all for continuing to inspire others by existing.”

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 17: Grace VanderWaal performs onstage during The Trevor Project’s TrevorLIVE LA 2019 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on November 17, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Tasia Wells/Getty Images for The Trevor Project)

Other celebrity attendees included Heidi Klum, Jesse Williams, Samira Wiley, Debby Ryan, Lance Bass, Jonathan Tucker, Madison Beerdrag personalities Raja & Nina West, Eugene Lee Yang, EJ Johnson, Gigi Gorgeous, Nats Getty, August Getty, Chris Daughtry, Terrell Carter, Alyson Stoner, Bruce Vilanch, Cassandra Cass, Charlie Barnett, Chester Lockhart, Daniel Franzese, Gregory Zarian, Ian Alexander, Jen Richards, John Flanagan, Lawrence Zarian, Mark Tennyson, Michael D. Cohen, Michael Turchin, Mikalah Gordon, Miss Shalae, Morgxn, Obiageliaku, On Mekahel, Parson James, Ryan Russell, and Sisterhood Band. Additionally, Grace VanderWaal took the stage to perform her heartfelt tune, “Ur So Beautiful.”

For more information on The Trevor Project, visit www.TheTrevorProject.org.

Scroll through the playlist below to see our interviews from the event and make sure to let us know what you think of The Trevor Project by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.

Author

  • Juliet Schroder

    Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, watching sports and exploring the latest fashion trends. Juliet holds a B.S. in marketing from St. John's University.

Juliet is the founder and executive producer/host of Celeb Secrets and Celeb Secrets Country. When not reporting on the latest news in pop culture and country music, she enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, watching sports and…

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