Protect our Trans and Queer community

This year, there has been a sweeping surge of anti-trans legislation in the United States. In 28 states, bills are passing that target trans, non-binary and queer youth who are participating in sports or seeking gender affirming health care.  Yesterday two anti-trans and homophobic bills passed in Florida and in Georgia. Florida Senate passed HB1557, Parental Rights in Education aka "Don't Say Gay" Bill. This bill is designed to do two things: ban the discussion of sex, sexuality and gender in schools, and to constrain trans children from being affirmed in their gender identity.

Alarmingly, on Tuesday, the Governor of Texas stated that parents who access gender affirming care for their children are engaging in child abuse and DCPS must investigate these families and submit them to the district attorney for abuse charges. It was also stated that all mandated reporters must report families to DCPS for accessing gender affirming care.

As a Queer therapist who works with and is in community with Trans, Non-Binary, and Queer folx I feel deeply saddened and scared by the shifting political landscape. What can we do then to support each other amid this uncertainty and dread?

Ways to support your LGBTQIA community:

1.     Find hope in the power of our community’s resilience. This human and civil right crisis is not unfamiliar to us. We have stood in at Stonewall, marched for marriage equality, sought protection for our Trans women of color, and pridefully celebrated our identities in community with one another. By focusing on the aspects of our lives that we can control and reframing situations that seek to tear us down, we can define our own narratives and move towards building the strength needed to fight back against these attacks.

2. Protecting our Trans and Queer youth begins with parenting. Eight out of ten LGBT middle and high school students report physical and verbal harassment, Gay and Lesbian teens are three times more likely to die by suicide, and Trans youth are five times more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe. If you are a parent, please have conversations with your children about Trans, Queer, and Non-binary identities. Educate yourself on the basics of gender expression and identity. The Trevor Project has an amazing resource to learn about how to navigate conversations with your children about gender and sexuality.

3.     Hold space for your Queer/Non-Binary/ Trans community. Check in with your friends and family about how they are faring and let them know you care about what is happening to Trans and Queer rights in our country.  

4.     Donate to a Trans affirming group, like  Brave Space Alliance in Chicago. Amanda Atkins Counseling Group made a donation this month in support of our BIPOC Trans community. Other Trans affirming organizations are:

            -the Transgender Network Education of Texas, which it's the largest trans-led             organization in the state: https://www.transtexas.org/

            -the National Center for Transgender Equality: https://transequality.org/

            -Trans Lifeline: https://translifeline.org/

6. Write your federal politicians and ask them to support the Equality Act. 

Your voice in this fight has never been more important than right now.