Music star and LGBTQ+ ally Dua Lipa has been named the Trevor Project’s Mental Health Champion of the Year for 2024.
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“Dua Lipa’s outspoken support for LGBTQ+ rights and her candor around her own mental health struggles make her the ideal recipient for this year’s award,” Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a press release. “Dua sets an excellent example for how allies can use their platforms to amplify the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community, including access to culturally competent mental health care. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that LGBTQ+ young people feel safe and supported in their mental health journeys.
“We’re witnessing another record-breaking year of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country, and we know that the dangerous rhetoric surrounding these policies can have real-life impacts on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth. The Trevor Project’s research found that a staggering 90 percent of LGBTQ+ young people said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics. When public figures like Dua Lipa spread awareness around these issues, it signals to LGBTQ+ youth that their feelings are valid and their experiences matter.”
Courtesy The Trevor Project
Lipa has been a longtime advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and the Trevor Project’s mission, which is to assist young LGBTQ+ people in crisis. In 2020, she dedicated a segment onToday to spotlighting the organization and raising funds for it. “Getting to grips with your sexuality can be quite a daunting experience no matter the circumstance, and for some LGBTQ+ youth it can be a period of real trauma,” she said on Today. “And it’s a very vulnerable time, and the really sad reality of it is that some people don’t survive it.” This year, after the presidential election, she shared a link to the Trevor Project’s crisis services to her 87.5 million Instagram followers. Crisis calls to the Trevor Project jumped 700 percent the day after the election.
In accepting the award, she said, “I am unbelievably moved and honored to receive this year’s Mental Health Champion of the Year Award. The Trevor Project is an organization that is near and dear to my heart, and I am humbled to play a part in shining a light on mental health awareness for LGBTQ+ young people. You are a beautiful, unstoppable community, and I am constantly in awe of the courage and strength you demonstrate when you stand proudly in your truth. To every young person out there: Know that you are loved, you are not alone, and the Trevor Project is a wonderful organization that is always there for you. The LGBTQ+ community have been my biggest champions since the start of my career, and I will continue to fight to make sure your voices are heard, your rights are protected, and you are treated with respect for being just the way you are.”
Lipa is a three-time Grammy winner, and her songs have been streamed 45 million times across various platforms. She has 125 million followers on social media. In addition to being an LGBTQ+ ally, she has spoken out in support of women’s rights and racial equality, and she is an advocate for mental health care who has discussed her own struggles.
“Sometimes when things are so intense and so overwhelming and you’re like, ‘This is the worst day of my life’ ... sometimes before I go to bed I go, ‘OK. I never have to live through that day ever again,” she said in May on the podcast Q With Tom Power. “And tomorrow I’ll just figure it out some other way.’”
Courtesy The Trevor Project
In 2021, she told British Vogue that social media has caused her anxiety. “And I was like, ‘This shouldn’t be the way that I’m experiencing this once-in-a-lifetime experience,’” she said. “It was messing with my confidence. I’d be super-nervous, wondering what everyone’s gonna say.”
In 2020, receiving the Attitude Music Award from British LGBTQ+ publication Attitude Magazine, she emphasized the need to support others, saying, “I'm urging all of us, if there is someone you think is vulnerable, someone you think could do with a hug, even if it’s virtual, please don’t wait for them to reach out to you. Let’s wrap our arms around the young people in this community and help them to feel safe, heard, and loved.”
She also has elaborated on the relationship between various types of bigotry. “Homophobia and transphobia are close to misogyny,” she told Vogue France last year. “A lot of people, deep down, are just afraid of themselves. The freedom of others confronts them with what they do not have the courage to express. The beauty of a free, true, and proud being paralyzes them.”
This is the Trevor Project’s fourth annual such award; it was previously called the Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year Award. Prior recipients are Lil Nas X (2021), Janelle Monáe (2022), and Dylan Mulvaney (2023). To donate to the organization in honor of Lipa, go to TRVR.org/DuaGives.
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.
