2022: a year considered by many to be a year full of delays in terms of minority rights. One of the most affected groups was the LGBTQ+ community.
The past year marked many controversies regarding the approval and proposals of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. In addition, debates considered dehumanizing and misinformed took place during these sessions.
The transphobia continues
Around 120 anti-LGBTQ+ projects were proposed in 30 states that would mostly affect the trans community. These projects would prohibit medical attention, hormone replacement therapies, the prohibition of the participation of trans people in both school and professional sports, and even jeopardize the right to education of trans children and adolescents.
A debate opened as to how much a child can be responsible for their identity/mental health. Politicians argue that the prohibition of medical attention and hormone replacement therapies for trans children might be the best option.
An anonymous homeschooled student said, “They will never understand what we have to pass through. It really concerns me that we have people with an incredible lack of common sense and mostly empathy making laws.”
According to Center for American Progress Action Fund, “A recent study by the Williams Institute estimates that Arkansas’ passed bill denying medical care to transgender youth would affect approximately 1,450 young people ages 13 and above across the state, depriving them of medically necessary, best-practice medical care that can have lifesaving effects.”
Don’t say “gay” bill
This bill has been one of the problems that came to light during the past year. It all started in schools in Florida, then began to spread to states like Texas, Ohio and Alabama. The bill advocates that parents should be in control of what their children are learning in schools.
This would condition teachers to limit sex education in their classrooms, more specifically regarding gender identities and sexual orientations. This proposition prohibits a full education regarding these subjects from kindergarten to third grade or in the worst case, to any child of any age.
The bill not only risks the education of their children but also the physical and emotional safety of the students. If a child decides to come out of the closet with a teacher, they must inform their parents about the situation. It would also condition children with LGBTQ+ families with the inability to share their experiences.
These problems have altered not only the community but also the people who know someone part of it. Obviously, they did not sit idly by, since they have argued that these measures violate the equal protection of the rights of the 14th amendment.
