It’s hard to even look at the research, let alone grapple with how it must feel to be so bullied, isolated, rejected. And yet, across the country, Republican lawmakers proudly and publicly congratulate themselves for every new act of repression against their states’ most marginalized children. This, even as 52% of transgender young people countrywide report having seriously contemplated suicide over the past year.
But it’s not limited to Idaho and Alabama, as the above Tweet suggests. The ACLU tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being moved through state legislatures around the country, and, (disgustingly), the number of bills is too great for even a quick count. Page after page after internet page of examples of Republican held state legislatures acting to further isolate and marginalize kids for the crime of being different. Kids who, documentation by The Trevor Project shows, (The Trevor Project is a national non-profit dedicated to suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ+ youth), are drastically less likely to attempt suicide when shown even the most basic respect for their human legitimacy.
“Transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by all of the people they lived with attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected by anyone with whom they lived.”
“Transgender and nonbinary youth who were able to change their name and/or gender marker on legal documents, such as driver’s licenses and birth certificates, reported lower rates of attempting suicide.”
Outrage over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill drew in even Disney over the weekend, with the company’s CEO making a statement apologizing for the company’s “silence” on the topic. In his statement, CEO Bob Chapek “added that this issue is not just about “a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights…You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry.” Disney will also be “pausing all political donations in the state of Florida” to reassess.”
But, sadly, (despairingly, really) it’s not exclusive to Florida, just like it’s not exclusive to Idaho or Alabama. States with anti-Trans or anti-LGBTQ+ bills on the legislative docket for this session include: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Meanwhile, Laura Ingraham took to her bully pulpit late last week to sterilize the phrase “grooming,” so it could better be used to bludgeon anyone who questions the necessity of these states’ anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.