Senate Bill 150 puts KY’s LGBTQ youth in danger at school and at home | Opinion

The Kentucky Youth Law Project opposes Senate Bill 150 and other “Parents’ Rights” bills currently before the General Assembly. We believe that these bills endanger LGBTQI+ youth. Supporters of these bills claim they want to improve informational transparency from schools to parents and give parents a right to object to instructional materials. But a closer examination makes it is clear that SB 150, and others introduced this year, will have a profound and dangerous effect on the safety and mental health of LGBTQI+ students.

Many transgender youth have been diagnosed by their experienced doctors as having gender dysphoria, defined as “intense discomfort or distress resulting from a difference between a person’s gender identity and the person’s assigned sex, including the associated gender role and gender specific body characteristics.” This condition has been exhaustively researched for more than 50 years. Youth experiencing gender dysphoria become depressed and anxious because their bodies are not congruent with their gender identity. This can, and often does, lead to serious risk-taking and self harm, including suicide.

As the Trevor Project notes, “LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society.”

▪ Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24 and LGBTQ youth are at significantly increased risk.

▪LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers.

▪ The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ youth aged 13-24 seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S., and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds.

▪ Most LGBTQ youth reported experiencing anxiety (74%) and depression (58%).

Queer youth already face enough bullying and discrimination in their schools, communities and homes. The last thing they need is for politicians in Frankfort to pile on more abuse.

According to the 2021 National School Climate Survey, school climates are toxic and harmful to students’ mental health and getting worse. More than 83% of these LGBTQI+ students during the 2021-2022 school year experienced harassment or assault based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender expression.

A hostile school climate affects students’ academic success and mental health. LGBTQI+ students who have experienced victimization and discrimination have worse educational outcomes and poorer psychological well-being.

As a result of these disproportionately high levels of bullying, harassment, and discrimination from fellow students and school personnel, more LGBTQI+ kids are skipping school, fewer are making plans for higher education, and negative mental health outcomes like depression and suicidal thoughts are high. Black students and other students of color who identify as LGBTQI+ report significantly more bullying and abuse in their schools. Poor mental health outcomes track closely with rates of bullying and abuse, so students with more than one marginalized identity report especially poor outcomes.

And yet, despite clear data showing that “parents’ support of sexual orientation and gender expression was related to higher levels of self-esteem, less depression, and fewer reports of suicidal ideation or suicide attempts,” many LGBTQI+ youth don’t have the support of their families in this regard. Research consistently shows that coming out to family puts youth at greater risk for verbal and physical abuse, homelessness, depression, anxiety, self-harming behaviors, and suicidal ideation.

Put simply, allowing parents unfettered information regarding a child’s sexual orientation and disregarding the student’s fears that involuntary “outing” to their family risks their safety and well being is a danger that we ignore to our children’s’ peril.

It would make sense for the legislature to find better ways to protect these children. Instead, this legislature seems only interested in efforts that will callously paint targets on the backs of these children, increase the likelihood that they will experience victimization, even by their own families, and deprive them of equal access to education that embraces all children and is essential to every Kentuckian’s prosperity.

Keith Elston is the Legal Director of the Kentucky Youth Law Project.