Don’t Take Rights Away
LGBTQIA+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more. These terms are used to describe a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Unfortunately, there are instances where the LGBTQ+ community experience marginalization and discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Additionally, the community continues to face ongoing challenges such as discrimination, violence, and social stigma. Currently, the biggest challenge the LGBTQIA+ community is facing is inequality in healthcare. More specifically, bans against gender-affirming care.
The groups of people who utilize gender-affirming care are, but not limited to, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals.The goal of gender-affirming care is to provide these individuals with the support and resources they need to live their authentic selves. Gender-affirming care supports their gender identity journey and helps alleviate gender dysphoria.
Some examples of gender-affirming care include hormone therapy, gender-affirming surgeries (such as gender confirmation surgery), speech therapy, and mental health support (such as therapy or counseling). Gender-affirming care can also involve providing patients with resources and education on issues such as legal rights, access to healthcare, and support groups.
It is important for LGBTQIA+ children to have access to gender-affirming healthcare due to the higher levels of anxiety and depression experienced. Furthermore, thoughts of suicide have been reported to be at a much higher rate than their cisgender peers. Compared with cisgender males and cisgender females, transgender students were more likely to report violence victimization, substance use, and suicide risk, and, although more likely to report some sexual risk behaviors, were also more likely to be tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
According to The Trevor Project’s 2020 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 54 percent of young people who identified as transgender or nonbinary reported having seriously considered suicide in the last year, and 29 percent have made an attempt to end their lives. In contrast, numerous research studies have found that gender-affirming care leads to improved mental health among transgender and nonbinary youths.These findings indicate a need for intervention efforts to improve health outcomes among transgender youths, but that cannot happen if their rights to healthcare are being taken away.
At least 11 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah, South Dakota and West Virginia. Tennessee, for example, just passed a ban that would eradicate puberty blockers and hormone treatment from being used to treat gender dysphoria. Additionally, patients would be unable to undergo surgery. Furthermore, healthcare providers who violate the Tennessee law can be sued in civil court within 30 years of the violation. Violaters could also face a fine of up to $25,000 and have their license restricted. The Tennessee law is set to go into effect in the summer, though minors who are currently undergoing treatment have until March 31, 2024 to stop treatment.
There are more than 300,000 high school-aged transgender youths across the United States who are in need of gender-affirming care. 151,300 of these adolescents live in states where they have have lost access to, or are at risk of losing access to, gender-affirming care, because of discriminatory laws and policies. To further break down the numbers, more than one in four transgender youths aged 13–17 live in states that have passed bans on gender affirming care. With an additional 63,400 transgender children are living in states that are considering bills and policies that will deny access to life saving gender affirming care. These bans go outside of affecting adolescents. In states such as Oklahoma, Texas, and South Carolina, the bans are considered to cover people up to 26 years of age from acquiring resources.
What can we, as digital users, do to fight the movement?
There is no simple answer, but the most effective method is to contact your state’s government officials and to join an advocacy group. To contact your congressional district’s member you can go to https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative#:~:text=If%20you%20know%20who%20your,the%20U.S.%20House%20switchboard%20operator. , put in your local zip code, and click on the corresponding member’s website. Once redirected to the correct website you will be able to locate the “contact” section. It will be here that you can advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and reiterate why equality for all is important. As for joining an advocacy group, it is as simple as a quick internet search of “LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups.” There you will find several options in which you can sign up for and receive newsletters, news updates about the community, and more.
Overall, the LGBTQIA+ community is facing detrimental losses of its rights and faces discrimination from government officials who are supposed to advocate for them. Along with the loss of rights comes the loss of stable mental health as a safe outlet of expression is taken away from adolescents and young adults. Therefore, they need everyone’s help, especially from digital users.
