The Florida state legislation, titled CS/CS/HB 1557: Parental Rights in Education (commonly referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill), prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels. It also requires school districts to notify parents of healthcare services for their children. This means the law could require teachers to “out” their queer and trans students to their legal guardians — something that may put children in danger if their family doesn’t accept them, according to a statement by the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ+ suicide prevention. (Survey data from the Trevor Project published in February showed that 40 percent of LGBTQ+ young people who reported being kicked out of their homes or abandoned said it was because of their identity.) Georgia introduced similar legislation in March, SB 613: Common Humanity in Private Education Act. The current version of the bill would amend education law to “deter developmentally inappropriate classroom discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation.” And also earlier this year, Utah joined several other states in legally prohibiting trans children from playing on girls’ sports teams, by voting into law the Student Eligibility in Interscholastic Activities bill (HB 0011). The nonprofit Freedom for All Americans has a running list of the dozens of other bills from several states that focus on school policies that could discriminate against LGBTQ+ communities. Mental health experts explain that laws and policies that prevent open conversation about certain identities sends a strong message that those identities are shameful — and internalizing that shame can have serious mental health consequences. When youth are not accepted for who they are, mental health problems, from anxiety to depression to self-injury to suicidal thoughts and behaviors, can all come up, says Kasey Jackman, PhD, RN, an assistant professor of nursing and a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at Columbia University in New York City, whose research focuses on mental health disparities among LGBTQ+ populations. “From a developmental perspective, being seen, accepted, and affirmed allows youth to flourish and grow into healthy adults,” he says. It’s far more developmentally appropriate to give kids an accepting environment where they’re free to mention their own or their family members’ identities, Dr. Jackman says. “Research shows that trans youth who are supported in their identity have comparable mental health to their cisgender peers.” Research published this year in the journal LGBT Health that looked at survey data from students from 117 schools showed that various psychosocial health measures improved for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual students when schools had LGBTQ-supportive policies compared with schools that didn’t. (Some of the health outcomes measured in the study were feelings of sadness or hopelessness, threats at school, forced sex, suicide-related behaviors, and high-risk substance use.)
How These Laws Affect Mental Health
Myeshia Price, PhD, a senior research scientist at the Trevor Project whose work focuses on how discrimination affects the mental health of trans and nonbinary youth, says recent debates about legislation have already harmed young people. “This bill directly threatens LGBTQ+ young people’s ability to see themselves reflected in positive, inclusive content at school,” they say. Much research shows that LGBTQ+ youth are already at heightened risk of mental health issues and self-harm. A study published in 2018 study in the journal Pediatrics found that 30 to 51 percent of transgender adolescents reported engaging in suicide behavior. Queer and trans youth are four times more likely to consider or attempt suicide than their peers, according to the Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey of LGBTQ Youth Mental Health. These numbers are especially high for queer and trans youth of color, the organization has reported. Data suggests that among students who learned about LGBTQ+ people and issues in positive and affirming ways in classroom curriculums, suicide attempt rates were lower than among students who had not learned about such issues, according to survey data published by the Trevor Project in 2021 (Dr. Price contributed to that research). Other data in adults shows that legal gender affirmation (allowing people to easily change the gender marker and name on government-identification documents) is linked with lower reports of depression, anxiety, somatization, global psychiatric distress, and upsetting responses to gender-based mistreatment for trans individuals. That study was published in the journal SSM Population Health in May 2020.
All Kids Need to Feel Validated
Kevin Fox, a licensed mental health counselor and therapist in private practice in Florida’s greater Orlando area who specializes in helping teens and LGBTQ+ clients, says one reason these school policies are so problematic is that they restrict people’s need to feel heard and validated, which is something everyone needs. “When someone’s core identity is told that it’s inappropriate, it’s a ‘lifestyle choice,’ or it’s made to be othered in a negative way from what is ‘normal’ in society — then it creates distress,” Fox explains. It reinforces the idea for that individual, he says: “Then there must be something wrong with me if people have to debate whether my existence is okay or whether my presence in society is okay.” Kids in kindergarten through third grade (the target demographic of the Florida law) are old enough to pick up on this message that being queer or trans is not okay, he adds. That can start to create a sense of shame, which is toxic.
Not Feeling Accepted Can Lead to Feelings of Shame
Everyone feels sad or angry from time to time, and we can move past those emotions, Fox says. “But shame at its core says that I am not okay, that there’s something intrinsically wrong with me.” And those feelings are the ones that can seed depression, anxiety, and a host of other mental health struggles for these youth, he says. “Young people who are told that who they are is wrong may attempt to conceal that part of their identity, which leads to substantial psychological stress,” Jackman adds. When a child internalizes negative attitudes about their identity, they may be unable to accept themselves and may even hate themselves, he says.
School Anti-LGBTQ+ Policies Hurt All LGBTQ+ Communities, Not Just Students
The policies don’t just harm LGBTQ+ youth; kids with parents who are part of LGBTQ+ communities may experience some of the same effects, Fox says. A child with queer parents or a trans sibling may think there’s something wrong with their family and feel shame around that. These policies send the sharp message to them: “I can’t talk about it without fear of ridicule or getting in trouble at school,” he says. In response to the Florida legislation, on March 31, 2022, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) filed a lawsuit against the State of Florida claiming that the bill violates the 1st and 14th Amendments of the Constitution by censoring classroom instruction about sexual orientation or gender identity in a discriminatory way. “LGBTQ students and parents are unsure about whether they can express or discuss their identities, and they worry about detention or other discipline or exclusion that may result if they do,” a statement from NCLR noted. The statement also cites mental and physical health concerns linked to the damaging effects of the legislation.
What Those Affected Can Do Right Now
If you, your child, or another child or adult you know is struggling in light of the passage of these laws and their implications, know that there are resources available that can help. For those feeling hurt by these policies and the ongoing debates around them, find your tribe, says Archie Messersmith-Bunting, a mental health advocate and the founder of Archie Cares, an organization focused on mental health awareness. “Find the people you can look at and say, I’m hurting and I need help. Find those people and then don’t let go,” he says. (Messersmith-Bunting, who is gay, has been open about his mental health struggles.) And for parents and others supporting members of the LGBTQ+ community, he adds that saying things like “it gets better” may be a disservice, particularly to LGBTQ+ youth who live in areas where the law, in fact, curtails their basic rights — because it may not get better for them for some time. It’s important for people to know that whatever they’re feeling, it’s 100 percent valid, Fox says. People struggling should seek out people they can talk to, whether it’s a family member, friend, or counselor or therapist, he says. RELATED: LGBTQ+-Friendly Emotional Health Resources Actions you can take right now that might help you cope:
Find an LGBTQ+-affirming therapist. Use tools like the GLMA Provider Directory, the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index, or Mental Health America’s guidelines for finding a queer- and trans-friendly therapist for people from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. Or turn to the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network.Find a local organization or support group. Fox says that when things get hard in school, there are free and supportive places you can go. In Florida, Fox recommends the Zebra Coalition, a network of organizations supporting LGBTQ+ youth. Or use the CenterLink directory of LGBTQ+ community centers across the United States and some other countries.Get involved with efforts to legally reverse this type of legislation. Kids and adults can participate in protests and grassroots efforts to push back. Some groups are specifically powered by young people, such as the national organization Advocates for Youth, which takes up LGBTQ+ health and rights as one of its core areas.
If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or suicidal, you can reach a crisis counselor at the Trevor Project 24/7 at 866-488-7386 or www.TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678-678. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
