Oct 42 min read

"Queer2Queer" Filmmaker: Celeste Lecesne

Updated: Oct 5

Writer * Actor * Storyteller * LGBTQ+ Youth Activist

Celeste Lecesne (he/they) wrote the short film Trevor, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, and he is co-founder of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth. For over 30 years, Celeste has been telling stories as a playwright, actor, screenwriter, author and producer.

In addition to receiving a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship award, The NYTimes has ranked him “among the most talented solo performers of his (or any) generation.” Celeste is also the co-founder & Artistic Director of The Future Perfect, a national arts initiative dedicated to amplifying the creative voices of LGBTQ+ youth.

TREVOR: THE SHORT FILM

Set in 1981, Trevor is told through a series of diary entries, following 13-year-old Trevor, a passionate Diana Ross fan who strives for attention from his parents by frequently faking suicide.

To his delight, Trevor is befriended by hunky school athlete, Pinky Faraday, upon whom he develops a crush. When he confesses how he feels about Pinky to his best friend Walter Stiltman, not realizing anything is unusual about his feelings, his friend turns on him and word spreads at school that Trevor is gay.

Shortly thereafter, a confused Trevor is ostracized by his entire school and in his ensuing pain, goes to such lengths as to give himself electric shock therapy to reverse his apparent homosexuality, runs away from home, and ultimately attempts suicide while lip-syncing to the song "Endless Love."

When Trevor awakes in the hospital, he meets Jack, a young candy-striper with a supportive demeanor. Jack's friendship and advice, along with an offer to see Diana Ross, inspires Trevor to live. The film closes with a buoyant Trevor dancing up the sidewalk to his parents' house while singing Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out."

Queer2Queer is a collaboration by The Future Perfect Project and the CURED documentary team, Queer2Queer (Q2Q) features powerful intergenerational conversations between LGBTQIA+ youth and elder activists.

In each of these four episodes, two inspiring change-makers come together to share wisdom, personal stories and hopes for the future. These heartfelt and uplifting conversations build connections between generations while fostering a deeper sense of our community’s shared values.