LifeLines - TMI Project

LifeLines: Queer Stories of Survival

In 2018 a cast of 10 LGBTQ storytellers from around the country, selected from a nationwide call for stories, took part in a TMI Project true storytelling workshop led by Academy Award-winner James Lecesne alongside TMI Project Co-founders Eva Tenuto and Julie Novak. The culminating Off-Broadway production of Lifelines: Queer Stories of Survival featured inspiring true stories of triumph in the face of suicide and took place on November 5, 2018, on the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center in NYC. The production raised awareness about the importance of The Trevor Project Lifeline and other similar suicide prevention services and also empowered suicide survivors to share their stories in the face of stigma to inspire others who are still struggling.

THE DOCUMENTARY FILM

In addition to the workshop and performance, TMI Project, in partnership with Stockade Works, filmed the entire process from workshop to live performance, along with profiles of the courageous individuals who told their stories of queer survival, for a forthcoming documentary film, Lifelines, to be released in fall 2021 during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Our goal with the film is to make these queer survival stories contagious and spark the will and commitment to live in LGBTQ youth across the country and beyond.

In alignment with TMI Project’s mission to empower people and bring about change through true storytelling, our goal for the documentary is to amplify the voices of members of the LBGTQ community, and to provide audiences the opportunity to listen, be inspired, expand their awareness, and identify with the storytellers. Most importantly, we hope to inspire the next generation of LGBTQ youth to live fully and fearlessly as their authentic selves.

Stay in the know.

Join the LifeLines: Queer Stories of Survival mailing list and be among the first to hear about the film’s progress and release.

In honor of The Trevor Project’s 20th anniversary, a cast of 10 LGBTQ storytellers from around the country, selected from a nationwide call for stories, will took part in a TMI Project true storytelling workshop led by Academy Award-winner James Lecesne alongside TMI Project Co-founders Eva Tenuto and Julie Novak. Life Lines: Queer Stories of Survival is the culmination of that work.

The live production featured inspiring true personal stories of triumph in the face of suicidal attempts or ideations with a goal of raising awareness about the importance of The Trevor Project Lifeline and similar suicide prevention services. Life Lines: Queer Stories of Survival took place on November 5, 2018, on the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center in NYC.

In addition to the workshop and performance, TMI Project, in partnership with Stockade Works, has been filming the entire process from workshop to live performance for a forthcoming documentary film to be released in fall 2019 during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

STORYTELLERS

Bailey Anderson
Pronoun: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Spring, TX

“…my life forever changed when I finally accepted who I was. Made up my mind and decided to start living authentically and telling the world who I am. I am a transgender woman of color. That statement saved my life.”

youtube.com/baileyestevez
SAMUEL BRINTON
Pronoun: They/Them/Theirs

Hometown: Alexandria, VA

“I’ve never seen such a change as the time after I got help. My grades improved. My friendships deepened. My smile returned. When you think you are alone it makes the world a place of pain, as you see connections between others, thinking you don’t deserve the same.”
WESLEY CHIHA
Pronoun: He/Him/His

Hometown: Hasbrouck Heights, NJ

“My call to The Trevor Project changed my life by allowing me to see I wasn’t alone. To see myself as strong and envision how I will be when I grow up. I use this experience to live a great life and be myself. Show the world who I am and make a difference.”

DUSTY CHILDERS
Pronoun: He/Him/His

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

“My parents and sister were incredible. They let me guide the way and let me know that if I was gay I could tell them and it would be perfectly okay…It was still a very long journey to happiness, but I was no longer carrying the burden alone.”
RAINE GRAYSON
Pronoun: He/Him/His

Hometown:Forked River, NJ

“I am thankful every day that I reached out in the myriad of little ways I did – that I didn’t end up a story between some train tracks and instead I’m a story of survival and perseverance. I’m not the depressed kid with the cut up thighs who drives in circles for hours convincing himself not to wrap his car around a tree on the mountaintops. Now, I’m the out and proud trans man who devotes every day to making life better for everyone and absolutely takes no shit and demands respect not just from everyone around him, but from himself as well.”
MICHAEL GREENBERG
Pronoun: He/Him/His

Hometown: Saugerties, NY

“The road out of my depression was long, and not without occasional backpedaling, but having a person willing and able to see me through everything I had constructed allowed me to find a way forward.”

RAY LONG
Pronoun: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Greenfield, WI

“I don’t remember a lot of things but I will always remember the line that changed everything. The person on the other end said, “You are worth more than this moment.” I sat down and cried.”
RANDI M. ROMO
Pronoun: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Little Rock, AR

“Although it took me over half of my life, I now understood that I had a right to be alive and that I wanted to ensure that other queer kids could have the chance to stay alive through the hard parts. I look at my life and I still see the horrors, but I also see the beautiful and wondrous experiences that I would have missed had I succeeded in killing myself.”
CECE SUAZO
Pronoun: She/Her/Hers

Hometown: Highland, CA

“I know I have something deeply rooted that I’ve never shared with the world. I’m looking for closure and I’m looking for hope.”

MICHAEL ZAHLER
Pronoun: He/Him/His

Hometown: Jersey City, NJ

“I understand that we are the total of our experience, and every bit of it makes us who we are. Finally, who I became was someone I wanted very much to live as, for as long as the universe lets me.”

youtube.com/user/mhztunes

WORKSHOP LEADERS

EVA TENUTO CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TMI PROJECT
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

“One of the most rewarding parts of working at TMI Project is seeing what storytellers look like when they step off the stage. It often looks like they’re floating out of the theater. They look taller; lighter. It’s as if something has truly been lifted. To be able to witness that over and over fills my spirit. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”

EVA TENUTO is the co-founder and executive director of TMI Project. Since 2010, she has brought TMI Project from her living room to a host of performance spaces, schools, detention centers, mental health facilities and the United Nations. Eva is the editor and director of multiple solo shows, one of which was awarded Best Comedic Script of 2014 in the United Solo Festival. In 2018, her directorial film debut, Vicarious Resilience, a docu short, celebrated its world premiere at The Woodstock Film Festival. Eva’s own true stories have been published on Longreads.com and in numerous anthologies including Drinking Diaries, Goodbye to All That and others. Eva studied acting at American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She received a BA in Fine Art and Women’s Studies and an MA in Elementary Education, both from Hunter College. More at www.evatenuto.com.
JULIE NOVAK CO-FOUNDER & WORKSHOP LEADER, TMI PROJECT
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Julie is a multi-talented performer, writer, and musician who enjoys making people laugh, feel loved, and consider their role in making the world a better place. Aside from co-founding TMI Project, Julie is a media producer and facilitator with The Future Perfect Project, a queer-led organization that offers free arts programming to LGBTQIA+ youth across the globe. She has performed all over the United States, including a tour of her one-person show America’s Next Top, which had a successful run in the NYC Fringe Festival. Currently, Julie is the host of No One Like You (broadcast on TMI Project media partner Radio Kingston/WKNY), a weekly program where she interviews everyday heroes who share uplifting stories about turning their kryptonite into their superpower. Learn more: julienovak.com
Celeste Lecesne Co-founder of The Trevor Project and The Future Perfect Project
Pronouns: He/They

“One of the reasons I’m so enthusiastic about TMI Project and the work that they do is because the organization is living proof of something I deeply believe: being able to tell your story is a human right.”

Celeste Lecesne is an American actor, author, screenwriter, and LGBTQIA+ rights activist best known for their screenplay of the Academy-award-winning short film Trevor. Lecesne has written several books including Absolute Brightness and Virgin Territory, and is also active in the entertainment industry as an actor and producer. They cofounded both The Trevor Project, as well as The Future Perfect Project with TMI Project Board President Ryan Amador.

ABOUT THE TREVOR PROJECT PARTNERSHIP

In 2018, The Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth, teamed up with TMI Project to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Together, we put out a national call for stories from LGBTQ people + allies who have stories of survival to help us celebrate Trevor Project’s 20th anniversary this year. More at trevorproject.org

PARTNERS