Our Resolution: Defeat Anti-LGBTQ Bills in 2023

By: Guest Blogger Ryan Bernsten, The Trevor Project

(Originally published by The Trevor Project)

 

As we start a new year, we enter a hostile political landscape for LGBTQ young people in states across America. In 2022, 220 anti-LGBTQ bills were considered in a majority of states across the country — a record number. In 2023, this trend is set to continue, as state houses around America are considering legislation that targets LGBTQ young people, ranging from censoring LGBTQ-related curriculums and books, banning transgender student-athletes from participating in sports that match their gender identity, and criminalizing doctors and families who support youth with transgender medical care.  

Source: The Trevor Project

That’s the bad news. However, there is reason for optimism: nearly 90% of harmful bills considered in 2022 were defeated by LGBTQ advocates and allies.  

These wins don’t just happen organically. They’re a result of targeted grassroots efforts of educating legislators about the real impacts and harm these policies cause. We know that to many families, the prospect of another tough year is daunting. For those new to LGBTQ advocacy, joining in to defend our young people can seem overwhelming. Our best power and momentum lies when we stay informed and work together. So, at the Trevor Project we’re making a New Year’s resolution to support advocates in state legislatures across the country who are standing up for LGBTQ youth, especially trans and nonbinary youth. We hope you’ll join us.

Source: The Trevor Project

As an advocate for LGBTQ rights, it’s important to stay informed about these bills and to be ready to take action to fight back against them. Here are some steps you can take to make a difference:

Stay informed: Follow news about LGBTQ issues in your state and around the country. Sign up for newsletters or alerts from organizations like The Trevor Project or the ACLU, and follow their social media accounts to stay up-to-date on the latest developments.

Get involved: Find a state or local organization that’s working to fight back against these bills. Consider joining their efforts and getting involved in their campaigns. Volunteering your time, donating money, or even just sharing information on social media can make a difference. You can find local organizations here.

Reach out to your legislators: Remember that politics is local. If you live in a state where an anti-LGBTQ bill is being considered, reach out to your state legislators and let them know how you feel. You can do this through email, phone, or even by writing a postcard or letter. Make sure to explain why the bill is harmful and why you oppose it. You can even visit them at their offices to have a face-to-face conversation with their staff. You can find your state legislator here. 

Watch hearings and state legislative sessions: As these bills are being debated, they often go through a public hearing process. Find out where and when these bills are being discussed and show up or watch them online. Let the legislators know that there is an audience that doesn’t agree with these harmful bills. Remember that politicians want to be re-elected. Presence is pressure.

Educate others: One of the most powerful things you can do to protect LGBTQ young people is to speak to the people in your life about why these bills are so harmful. Visit our Resource Center to find guides and educational materials. Remember, you don’t have to have all the correct language to make a difference. You just have to speak from your heart and practice empathy. If you have a platform or writing skills, you can also contact local publications to write op-eds or letters to the editor about these issues. 

The Trevor Project is fighting every day for a more inclusive world for LGBTQ young people, but we can’t do it alone. We all have the power to change hearts and minds through people-to-people conversations, local and state advocacy, and the ballot box. Make a resolution this year to stay involved and ensure that we defeat as many of these harmful bills as possible.

MORE ABOUT...

Ryan Bernsten is a Senior Managing Editor at The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and mental health organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people.

The Trevor Project's mission is to end suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning young people. Their vision is a world where all LGBTQ young people see a bright future for themselves.

A Place For Everyone: Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth In Out-Of-School Time Organizations

Source: Anete Lusina, www.pexels.com

By Guest Blogger, Clarke Hill
(This was originally published by the National Afterschool Association in the Spring 2023 Afterschool Today issue.)

In the world of youth development, very little is simple. More often than not, organizations are up against seemingly insurmountable odds in the fight for a just society for all young people. The battles young people face are everywhere, from mass shootings to global pandemics and crises related to mental health, housing, and extreme economic insecurity to name just a few. 

Advocating for LGBTQ+ young people can feel like one of these insurmountable tasks. The Trevor Project reports that in 2022 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous year, including 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth, as a result of discrimination they faced in school, social gatherings, and at home. That is a staggering statistic. 

However, equally as staggering, is the finding that when trans and nonbinary young people have their pronouns respected by the adults in their lives they report suicide attempts at half the rate of other trans and nonbinary youth. In a world of big complex problems, using the correct pronoun is something we can all do without a whole lot of effort. When you start to dig into what else LGBTQ+ youth need to feel safe and supported, it turns out most of that is pretty simple too. 

Not only is it simple, out-of-school organizations actually have a unique ability to change those statistics by creating inclusive organizations for all and prioritizing the well-being of their LGBTQ+ youth. 

In this country, youth are provided a variety of places to feel safe and included; it is often taken for granted that home, community, church, school, sports teams, etc. are places for youth to find safety. The truth is that for many LGBTQ+ youth these are spaces that have caused trauma. In 2022 the Trevor Project found that only 37% of LGBTQ+ youth identified home as an affirming space and only 55% felt affirmed at school. Schools are often barred from supporting LGBTQ+ youth because of discriminatory policies instituted by school boards or local governments. The safety of one’s home is dependent upon the beliefs of one’s parents. Out-of-school time organizations often do not have to adhere to the same discriminatory policies and can ensure they are only hiring staff that are accepting and then provide continued training on active inclusion. 

Source: Afterschool Today Spring 2023

One of the easiest things your organization can do is ensure the use of correct pronouns. While it can feel difficult, asking someone for their pronouns and trying your best to use the correct pronouns gets easier as you practice. If you make a mistake and use the wrong pronoun, you can simply apologize and move forward with the correct pronoun. The effort is impactful to the young person even when mistakes are made. The use of they/them pronouns to address a singular person also might feel uncomfortable at first but it is something that we regularly do in the English language. For example, if you walked up to a table at a restaurant and saw a jacket left by a previous customer you might say “oh look, someone left their jacket, I’m going to take it to lost and found for them.” Change can be uncomfortable, and adjusting pronoun usage may have some bumps in the road, but in the end, our effort has real potential to reduce suicidal thoughts in young people. 

Remember, it is impossible to know everyone’s pronouns just by looking at them; staff can model sharing their pronouns when they introduce themselves and make sure to provide the option to share pronouns when they ask young people to introduce themselves. Additionally, you can offer name tags that have a blank for names and a blank for pronouns. Lastly, you may have seen the term “preferred pronouns” used in the past but the definition of preferred is an adjective to describe something that someone likes better than something else. If they were preferred pronouns, it means that other pronouns are acceptable to use which is not the case. 

Again, the youth development field faces big complex problems, but this is a solution with relatively low effort and extremely high impact. 

The lynchpin to creating an inclusive organization is ensuring your staff have received training specific to working with LGBTQ+ youth. Luckily, there are many fantastic resources that can help your organization with education: 

1.The Trevor Project - Support Center Glossary 
2.The Trevor Project - Guide to Being an Ally 
3.GLSEN - Gender Affirming & Inclusive Athletics 
4.The Safe Zone Project - Learn 
5.Human Rights Campaign - Schools in Transition 

MORE ABOUT...

Clarke Hill, is the Principal and Founder of Clarke Hill Consulting and Co-Founder of Queer Connect. Clarke is a non-profit consultant with over 20 years of experience and her areas of focus as a consultant are non-profit organizational development, youth development, quality improvement, and data-driven DEI. She has worked with organizations across the country such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Washington Charters Association, Neighborhood House, and the Forum for Youth Investment. She also worked with government institutions including the Centers for Disease Control, King County, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. 

LGBTQ+ Youth's Rights Under Attack: STEP 1 (Part 1)

Source: www.pexels.com

By Sam Piha

The recent attacks on LGBTQ+ youth in political rhetoric and as state houses around America are considering legislation that targets LGBTQ young people, according to the Trevor Project,” ranging from censoring LGBTQ-related curriculums and books, banning transgender student-athletes from participating in sports that match their gender identity, and criminalizing doctors and families who support youth with transgender medical care.”

“Uncivil discourse and hostile political rhetoric have seeped into the nation’s classrooms, leading to declines in support for teaching about race and racism, and sizable growth in harassment of LGBTQ youth, according to a survey of high school principals released this week.” – Ed Source, Political rancor has had chilling effect on public education, survey finds

Even though there are inclusive and progressive politics in some states, afterschool programs in states across the country do not enjoy this. How can they promote a safe space for all youth amid state efforts to erase the LGBTQ+ community? 

WHAT CAN WE DO TO SUPPORT LGBTQ+ YOUTH AMIDST THE ANTI-LGBTQ MOVEMENT?

STEP 1:Begin by staying informed. According to The Trevor Project, “Follow news about LGBTQ issues in your state and around the country. Sign up for newsletters or alerts from organizations like The Trevor Project or the ACLU and follow their social media accounts to stay up-to-date on the latest developments.”

AT HIGHER RISK
We know that LGBTQ+ youth are more vulnerable when compared to other youth. They are:

Source: The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity

ANTI-LBGTQ STATE LEGISLATION

Below, we have listed several articles by topic which were written by National Public Radio and others. If you click on the title, it will take you to the original article. 

Source: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

“It’s clear that lawmakers should be taking an intersectional approach to public policy, not working overtime to target the most marginalized young people, particularly those who are transgender or nonbinary, for partisan political points. We all must play a role in promoting LGBTQ acceptance and creating a more supportive world for all young people.”- Amit Paley, CEO & Executive Director of The Trevor Project

SCHOOLS 

Florida Senate passes a controversial schools bill labeled 'Don't Say Gay' by critics

March 8, 2022 • Florida's Senate passed a bill Tuesday that aims to limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Gov. Ron DeSantis has signaled support for the legislation.

Texas attorney general says Austin school Pride Week celebration breaks state law
March 25, 2022 • Austin's school district holds events to celebrate LGBTQIA+ students every year. Attorney General Ken Paxton says, "when it comes to sex education, parents—not school districts—are in charge."

HEALTHCARE
Alabama Legislature votes to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth
April 7, 2022 • State lawmakers also passed a separate measure prohibiting early classroom instruction on sexual and gender identity, a bill critics have dubbed "Don't Say Gay."

Alabama is using the case that ended Roe to argue it can ban gender-affirming care
July 3, 2022 • The case marks one of the first known instances in which a conservative state has tried to apply the abortion ruling to other realms, just as LGBTQ advocates and others were afraid would happen.

 Source: Gabriel C. Pérez/KUT, National Public Radio,
VIDEO: Parents of trans kids fear Texas' anti-trans orders

A judge blocks part of an Alabama law that criminalizes gender-affirming medication
May 14, 2022 • The federal judge issued a preliminary injunction while a court challenge goes forward. The judge left in place other parts of the law that banned gender-affirming surgeries.
 
Texas Supreme Court OKs state child abuse inquiries into the families of trans kids
May 13, 2022 • The ruling overturns an injunction barring state officials from following Abbott's directive to view treatments such as hormones and puberty-blocking drugs as incidents of child abuse.
 
Can states limit abortion and gender-affirming treatments outside their borders?
March 15, 2022 • Building on SB 8 in Texas, some Republican lawmakers are trying a new strategy: pushing bills that would attempt to limit what residents can and can't do even beyond state lines.
 
Georgia governor signs trans health care ban
March 24, 2023 • Doctors could lose their job if they provide safe and effective treatments to trans youth.

BANNING OF BOOKS, MUSIC, AND ART

Source: National Public Radio

These kids' authors are telling the stories of trans youth. Book bans won't stop them.
March 31, 2022 • As lawmakers push forward with efforts to curb the rights of queer and trans youth, authors who've written about gender expansive and trans identities say storytelling is crucial.