Let Our LGBTQ+ Kids be Kids

When I take a step back and look at how far this country has come in terms of equality and cultural acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, I see a promising future, particularly for our youth. But recent policy actions at the state level in Texas, Florida, and other states offer an unfortunate and sobering reminder that the struggle for equality continues. 

New policies proposed in Texas and Florida serve as the latest example of efforts to make it unsafe for kids to openly identify as trans, queer, and LGBTQ+ and seek the resources they deserve. 

In Texas, the highest office in the state is characterizing treatments like Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or gender-affirming surgery as child abuse, while also instructing community leaders in schools and healthcare settings to report these instances of “child abuse.” 

In Florida, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill would basically remove and forbid any conversations about LGBTQ+ topics (sexual orientation and gender identity), including conversations that recognize same gender parents, and would ask teachers to "out" kids to their parents; it has passed the House and the Florida Senate committee, and is now moving to the Senate floor for a vote.

While I hope neither of these gain traction or come to fruition (and it is a relief to see the most recent developments in Texas), the damage is already being done. These attacks on our LGBTQ+ youth and their families are reprehensible and life-threatening.

Every time new policies are proposed or campaign statements are made that are decidedly anti-LGBTQ+, it represents a systematic effort by our government to exacerbate inequitable access to care via discrimination and actively undermine some of the most vulnerable populations. These are the very organizations that are supposed to protect us all, but especially children, at every turn. The Human Rights Campaign reports that at least 56 transgender or gender non-conforming people were killed last year, making 2021 the most violent year since HRC started tracking these numbers back in 2013. In May 2021, the HRC reported that it was already the worst year in recent history for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and believes that 2022 is “poised to eclipse even the brutality of last year.” 

There’s also the very real and immediate harm that measures like this causes to the mental health of these kids and their family. According to The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 42% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, and that stat rises to more than half when you’re looking specifically at transgender and nonbinary youth. Only 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ youth found their home to be LGBTQ+-affirming and 75% of LGBTQ+ youth reported that they had experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity at least once in their lifetime. Unfortunately, 48% of LGBTQ+ youth reported they wanted mental health services but were unable to receive it in the past year. 

These attacks are not only harmful to individual children, but their family and loved ones. Parents, guardians and family role models are terrified about what this will mean for the physical and mental health of the child in their lives, and whether they will be forced to move to a new state to get healthcare access.

Policy actions like these are systematically undermining the sense of self of many LGBTQ+ people and building dangerous barriers to healthcare access. How can we stand by policies that tell a child their identity doesn’t matter? Especially if the end result is higher suicide rates among youth that don’t have a single safe place to be their true, authentic selves, or the ability to receive gender-affirming care? 

In 2019, I founded a healthcare startup that was one of the first comprehensive healthcare navigation and advocacy companies focused on creating better healthcare experiences and raising care equality for the LGBTQ+ community (since acquired by Included Health). Based on my own personal lived experience as a gay man, I knew the struggles our community faced navigating the healthcare system and the difficulty in accessing affirming and clinically competent care. 

The actions of Texas and Florida are extremely disappointing, dangerous and have the potential to harm children’s mental health and remove access to care. We need to continue moving towards inclusivity, not division. Rather than harming or adding more stigma in our children’s lives, we should be celebrating them for who they are and find ways to help them thrive in our world. As the country heard in yesterday’s State of the Union address, let our nation’s youth be themselves.

I urge you to check out my team’s landing page with resources for the LGBTQ+ community — whether it’s resources to help community members who feel targeted or threatened by these recent developments, or for anyone who wants to take action, nationally and regionally. Aside from committing donations and raising awareness through social media channels, please consider taking the time this week to check in on the people in your life, particularly the young ones, who may be struggling with this news. A quick message of support can make all the difference.