Pride Month is almost over, but the LGBTQ+ community needs year-round support, particularly from state legislators.
More than 500 anti-transgender bills are currently being introduced in the United States, including 25 states that have introduced bans on gender-affirming healthcare.
In Florida, there is the controversial “Don't Say Gay” law, which states that teachers cannot talk about gender or sexual orientation as part of their classroom teaching, although a legal agreement in March stated that students and teachers can talk about LGBT+ people, hanging pride flags and still having LGBT groups on campus.
While many anti-LGTBQ+ bills fail to become law (a federal judge earlier this month struck down a 2023 Florida law that blocked gender-affirming care for transgender minors), these bills still put in place jeopardizes the safety of LGBTQ+ people and children in the US.
Speaking to The independentThree LGBTQ+ advocacy groups shared approaches to supporting queer youth during Pride Month and beyond.
Have honest conversations with children and adults about the effects of anti-LGBTQ+ bills.
speaking to The independentRay McKinnon, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of LGBTQ+ People (PFLAG) in Charlotte, spoke specifically about House Bill 808, which bans access to gender-affirming health care for minors in North Carolina. He stated that while the idea behind the law is to protect children, that is not what is actually happening.
“There is no world where a person takes a random trans minor and forces them to do things outside of a consultation, without medical professionals or parents,” he said. “The damage caused by House 808 can be exceptionally long-lasting. When a person's identity doesn't match who they are medically, they should be able to do something about it. “We know that putting these barriers in front of parents and children is not at all about protecting children.”
Janson Wu, senior director of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project, went on to share how he’s seen state laws impact the mental health of young people. He noted that in response to the organization’s 2024 American National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Youth, 90 percent of participants said their well-being was negatively impacted by recent policy. With that in mind, he shared the reminder that despite hateful rhetoric about the LGBTQ+ community, that doesn’t mean queer people are alone.
“For every adult who attacks your existence to gain power, there are many more adults who believe that you are perfect and deserve support just as you are, even if you are LGBTQ+,” she explained. “These laws have been passed by a small and vocal minority, extremists. And where I put my hope is that we are stronger when we fight together.”
Be a tolerant adult
During its 2019 national survey, The Trevor Project found that “LGBTQ+ youth who report having at least one accepting adult [in their life] “were 40 percent less likely to report a suicide attempt” over the past year. Patti Hearn, executive director of Seattle Pride, said this data tells us how important an adult is.
“All they have to do is express interest, support and openness toward the children,” she explained. “I think adults who work with children, like teachers, have a lot of responsibilities. For example, they might be walking down the hallway and notice something that could be bullying, but they’re also in a rush to grade papers. However, you have to keep in mind that you have to intervene, 100 percent of the time. We need to do that for the most vulnerable children who are marginalized in different ways.”
McKinnon also expressed that simple words of support from loved ones can go a long way. He explained that since coming out as gay in 2022 (after being married for 18 years to a woman with whom he has four children), his loved ones have encouraged him to be himself. He also referred to statistics from The Trevor Project about how meaningful this support is for children who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I don't think people fully appreciate how important that is,” he explained. “We don't realize how our simple presence and giving people permission to be who they are saves lives.”
Educate yourself as someone who is not part of the LGBTQ+ community
There are many things an ally can learn. Wu referenced some of the free resources on The Trevor Project's website, including explanations about gender identity and how vital it is to recognize that we don't need to respect societal gender roles.
“By taking the opportunity to educate yourself, you are showing a lot of support for young people as they identify themselves,” she said. “Some of The Trevor Project’s resources also include a checklist to see if your school is LGBTQ-affirming and a guide on how to testify against harmful bills. We can all do our part to ease that burden through self-education.”
McKinnon also highlighted how allies should educate themselves about organizations that want to protect the well-being of LGBTQ+ people in the country. “Some organizations are working with children to provide spaces for them where they can be safe,” she explained. “There’s nothing that compares to walking into a space and having permission to be yourself. Where you don’t have to limit yourself, like where you can’t be so masculine or so feminine.”
Prevent students from using hateful rhetoric against people in the LGBTQ+ community
Both within and outside the LGBTQ+ community, there can be hateful rhetoric towards queer youth. As allies, we need to recognize transphobia and homophobia when we see it and point out the impact it has, especially when talking to children.
McKinnon pointed out how state laws affect the safety of queer youth, referencing the Parents’ Bill of Rights in North Carolina, a law to “enumerate the rights of parents to direct the upbringing, education, medical care, and mental health of their minor children.”
“Legislation like that could force teachers to reveal their sexual orientation to their children and harm them,” he said. “You cannot change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Harassing her or making her feel less is not going to solve the problem.”
Wu also shared simple ways to steer students away from transphobic or homophobic rhetoric, recognizing that children often live by example. Ultimately, it is the adults in their lives, whether parents, family members, or teachers, who need to model respect and kindness toward the LGBTQ+ community.
“I think the most effective way to do this is to raise the Pride Flag or use a person's preferred pronouns,” he said.
Having discussions about gender identity.
Hearn acknowledged that in her experience working with children, they are extremely open to learning and inquiring about the meanings of identity, from the topic of pronouns to what it means to be nonbinary.
“They naturally question some of the things we say that are so specific, that they're boy things or girl things, particularly when they're younger. They are curious about things like that, why blue has been for boys and pink has been for girls. Why does it have to be like this,” she explained. “I think when we let them be more of who they naturally want to be, it ties into a realm of things to consider, around positive masculinity, like adult men being loving and caring.”
Wu agreed that when we question why gender norms exist, we create space for people to learn without judgment, which also expands our knowledge about gender identity.
“We recognize the beautiful and wide diversity of our identities in so many different contexts,” he explained. “Why wouldn't it be the same when it comes to gender? “We should listen and trust young people when they tell us who they are.”
