The worst thing anyone can do is repress the free expression of children. The increasing hatred politics is causing real problems.
By Lyle Matthew Kan
September (click here) is back to school month for countless children and young people across the country. But school isn’t always a pleasant experience – or even safe space – for LGBTQ children and youth. Moreover, even outside of school, LGBTQ children and youth face a myriad of challenges and a multitude of disparities compared to their straight peers. They are more than two times as likely to experience homelessness as their straight peers– and once homeless, they are much more likely to be physically harmed. Additionally, LGBTQ minors can legally be forced to attend conversion therapy in 36 states – meaning 68 percent of LGBTQ people live in states without protections for LGBTQ youth against this harmful practice....
It has been tough for these children. The states should be funding efforts to make their lives far easier to move through including parents.
Increasing vitriol against trans people is putting both physicians and children at risk, says physician–scientist Jack Turban, who researches the mental health of young people who are trans or from gender minorities, with a focus on providing evidence to support public-policy decisions. “Misinformation scares people and has driven them to make threats of violence toward medical providers and children’s hospitals around the country,” he says. But the “incredible strength” of trans youth gives him hope. “These kids have the courage and sense of self to be themselves anyway — to combat the shame and live openly and authentically. That too makes me optimistic for the future.”
Elevating evidence-based LGBT+ care (click here)Cooney, R. Elevating evidence-based LGBT+ care. Nat. Mental Health 1, 377–378 (2023).
Published08 June 2023
Issue DateJune 2023
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-023-00073-5
