Learn with Love - The Trevor Project | Clapboard Ad Archive

The Trevor Project’s 2023 campaign Learn with Love is a documentary short film that elevates the authentic experiences of transgender young people by intimately portraying their relationships with the adults who support and affirm them, marking a strategic push in public interest advocacy to counter rising anti-LGBTQ legislation and societal stigma. Created in collaboration with IMPOSTER and The Trevor Project In-House, the film centers on three distinct stories—Kaiden and his mother, Skyler and her grandfather, and Lyndon with a pastor who provided refuge after familial rejection—each narrative illuminating resilience and the transformative power of education, openness, and unconditional love within transgender and nonbinary communities. This approach sidesteps the usual focus on systemic barriers to instead highlight breakthroughs that arise when love and understanding replace misinformation and prejudice, addressing a critical knowledge gap underscored by research revealing that seven in ten Americans have never met a transgender person. The campaign is positioned squarely within The Trevor Project’s broader mission to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by fostering empathy and acceptance through real-life storytelling that humanizes transgender experiences beyond prevailing stereotypes and politicized discourse. By adopting what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#10—Associated User Imagery—the campaign uses relatable, aspirational profiles rather than dramatization or symbolic devices, ensuring the emotional resonance of these stories with both LGBTQ youth and their families while encouraging allyship and community support. The film’s narrative is reinforced by the organization’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health data, which highlights alarming rates of suicidal ideation and attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth, alongside the scarcity of gender-affirming homes, situating Learn with Love as a vital intervention in a fraught social climate. The campaign also integrates actionable support resources, directing viewers toward The Trevor Project’s helpline and online services, thereby extending its impact beyond awareness to practical assistance. With a Clapboard Campaign Score of 77, Learn with Love exemplifies how documentary storytelling in the public service category can mobilize empathy and advocacy by focusing on intimate, personal connections rather than abstract policy debates. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how authentic, user-centered narratives can shift public perception and drive social change when they confront misinformation with human stories rooted in love and acceptance.