LGBTQ+ youth deserve to feel heard, safe and supported
As Pride Month draws to a close, it’s critical we keep our focus on respecting and protecting youth rights and well-being
For young Americans who identify as LGBTQ+, this is an incredible time — perhaps more than any other period in U.S. history — of amazing cultural shifts that promote inclusion and affirmation. It’s also, unfortunately, still very frightening.
Despite the significant progress of the past several decades, hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people in schools have risen sharply in recent years, and there remains a “significant association between anti-LGBTQ+ victimization and disproportionately high rates of suicide risk,” according to a survey conducted this year by the Trevor Project. That same survey found that far too many LGBTQ+ young people struggle to access the mental health care they need, and multiple studies have shown that LGBTQ+ youth who are Black, Brown or Indigenous often experience compounding forms of discrimination and oppression.
As if this weren’t enough, there are extremist lawmakers, judges and others who are dedicated to further eroding the rights of young LGBTQ+ Americans and making the situation even worse.
All of this is why the National Center for Youth Law is dedicated to listening to and supporting this particularly vulnerable group of young people, who remain under attack. And it’s why we all must collectively treat Pride — a celebration rooted historically in social justice and action — as more than a month.
As June draws to a close, bringing an end to many annual public Pride celebrations, we must ensure we don’t lose focus on these young people who deserve to be heard and live safely and supported as themselves. With critical elections on the horizon, we must support policy and policymakers that promote the health and well-being of the youth they impact. And we must afford those youth a seat at the table; their insight and expertise should be coveted and valued, not shunned or ignored.
The future of LGBTQ+ rights could be shaped significantly over the next several months.
In addition to the upcoming elections, the Supreme Court this week announced that it will hear arguments in its next term regarding state restrictions on gender-affirming care for youth. The court’s decision could have major implications on the health and well-being of countless transgender youth.
This is not a time for inaction.
At the National Center for Youth Law, we remain committed to ensuring the rights of all youth are respected and protected and that young people are supported in the development of their identity. We are partners with the National SOGIE Center, a collaborative that works to improve the lives of children and youth with diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE) involved in systems of care.
We also, this year, submitted an amicus brief to the Ninth Circuit — in Regino v. Staley — that highlights the many dangers of “forced outing” of LGBTQ+ youth in schools and argues in favor of youth autonomy.
Further, NCYL continues to advocate for, and produce resources aimed at, improving services and supports for LGTBQ+ youth. Recent examples of these include:
- Better supporting LGBTQIA2S+ youth survivors of commercial sexual exploitation;
- Helping Our Students Thrive: How schools can support student mental health and well-being;
- A webinar, hosted in partnership with the California Judicial Council, focused on LGBTQ+ youth and supporting their mental health;
- Our “Self Taught” podcast, hosted by the Reproductive Health Equity Project for Foster Youth, and its related blog; and
- Co-sponsoring California’s Assembly Bill 665, a state law that helps ensure all young people have equitable access to mental health care.
Don’t let the end of Pride Month take your attention away from the increasingly scary reality experienced by too many LGBTQ+ youth. It’s vital we keep our same June focus year-round. This year especially.
