
Paul Feig, the director behind the comedies Bridesmaids and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, and his wife have donated $300,000 to three LGBTQ+ youth advocacy organizations — The Trevor Project, Translifeline.org and It Gets Better — in response to the numerous anti-LGBTQ+ actions of President Donald Trump.
“In recent weeks we have witnessed the dismantling of crucial protections for the health and safety of the LGBTQ+ community and, particularly, the transgender community,” Feig told Variety.
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“I can’t sit idly by and watch as my friends, colleagues and the LGBTQ+ community as a whole — our fellow citizens — are stripped of their rights,” he continued. “We should all do whatever is within our power and our means to ensure that every member of the LGBTQ+ gets the support and protections to which they are entitled. I hope that these contributions will help the teams at The Trevor Project, Translifeline.org and It Gets Better to keep doing the life-saving work they do every day.”
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Feig made his donation after Trump banned transgender people from the military. Trump’s anti-trans executive orders have also banned any federal recognition of trans people (including in studies and on federal websites), banned trans athletes from sports and banned gender-affirming care for kids and adults under the age of 19. His orders have spurred lawsuits by LGBTQ+ organizations in federal courts.
Translifeline’s director of development Myles Markham told the aforementioned publication, “In a year where anti-trans sentiment and federal marginalization is at an all time high, support and generosity for our community from powerful storytellers like Paul couldn’t be more timely or valuable.”
“Contributions like this not only mean critical services will reach more folks in need, they also send a message of hope and possibility to the tens of thousands of trans youth and adults feeling the doom and despair that comes with our current administration’s rhetoric and policy,” Markham added.
Kevin Wong, senior vice president of marketing, communications and content at The Trevor Project, said, “We are incredibly grateful for the generous donation we received from Paul Feig to support our life-saving work at The Trevor Project…. This gift will bolster our crisis counselors’ ability to support the increase in young people who are reaching out with fears about how the current barrage of negative political news will impact their lives.”
It Gets Better executive director Brian Wenke said his organization felt “incredibly grateful” for the “generous donation.”
“At a time when LGBTQ+ youth face relentless challenges, this support strengthens our commitment to uplifting their voices and ensuring they have the resources to thrive,” Wenke said. “Paul’s storytelling has long resonated with our community, a reminder that representation isn’t just visibility — it’s power. With this support, we remain focused on building a world where LGBTQ+ young people feel seen, supported, and can recognize their own limitless potential.”
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