Guest Opinion: Rising up for LGBTQ+ youth

Back to school season is one of my favorite times of the year. Kids excitedly skipping to school, wearing backpacks that are almost bigger than they are. As kids in the Bay Area and the country begin another school year, LGBTQI+ students should feel excited about returning to class after summer break, seeing their friends, and finding joy in community as their most authentic selves both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities.

Yet back to school feels a little different this year, especially for the LGBTQI+ community, as many have faced tremendous attacks on their health and wellbeing from both peers and lawmakers at every level of government across the country. And, to add insult to injury, some of these attacks came from our nation’s highest court during the celebration of Pride Month.

In June, the United States Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law prohibiting lifesaving, medically necessary gender-affirming care for transgender children while allowing the same care for their cisgender peers. Another ruling also allowed parents to opt their children out of public school lesson plans using LGBTQI+- themed books. 

Since the start of this year, nearly 600 anti-LGBTQI+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country, restricting everything from access to health care, sports participation, and which bathrooms children can use. In March, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would prohibit transgender women and girls from participating in school sports and financially punish schools that welcome transgender and nonbinary athletes – a bill I was proud to vehemently oppose.

Attacks from Republicans at all levels of government contribute to a rhetoric that fuels bullying, discrimination, and harassment in K-12 schools. LGBTQI+ youth, as a result, are more l ikely to miss school , report lower feelings of belonging, and experience higher rates of mental health disabilities like anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Nearly half of LGBTQI+ youth seriously considered suicide in the last year, and that rate is even higher for Black, Indigenous, and multiracial LGBTQI+ youth. And, a new analysis indicates that LGBTQI+ students are twice as likely to drop out than the national average. 

It does not have to be this way. A better world is possible.

Every child deserves the chance to play, learn, and belong – no exceptions. All students should have the freedom and opportunity to fully participate in their education and extracurriculars.

As attacks on and discriminatory policies toward the LGBTQI+ community increase, it is critical that we act with urgency and moral clarity to protect K-12 students from these attacks.

That’s why in my first year in Congress, I was proud to act on my decades-long commitment to the LGBTQI+ community and introduce the Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative resolution alongside Congressional Equality Chair Congressmember Mark Takano (D-Riverside), a gay man, and Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).

Our resolution demands equal opportunity, basic civil protections, and freedom from erasure for all students, but especially LGBTQI+ young people in K-12 schools.

The Rise Up for LGBTQI+ Youth in Schools Initiative resolution also encourages states, territories, and localities to adopt laws and policies that prohibit bias-based victimization, exclusion and erasure.

This resolution envisions a better, possible future for all young people in schools, but particularly those who identify as LGBTQI+. It goes beyond merely accepting the bare minimum of physical and mental safety as acceptable – and instead demands a better future with enumerated anti-bullying protections, gender neutral dress code guidelines, and inclusive learning practices to build positive learning environments for all students.

Schools should open doors for kids – not close them.

Trans children are like children of all other backgrounds – full of promise and unlimited potential. They should have the freedom to achieve their full potential both personally and academically without fear of discrimination, harassment, or exclusion.

For decades, I have seen the power of freedom and opportunity for LGBTQI+ youth up close. As executive director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center, I supported young women and LGBTQI+ youth who had been in the foster care system, who were justice impacted, and who had suffered sexual assault or domestic violence. The center housed and employed these young people, helping them escape cycles of violence and create new futures.

That is why, as our children head back to school this fall, I recommit to standing with the LGBTQI+ community to say this simple truth: Trans rights are human rights, and everyone deserves to belong.

I am committed to the fight for true equality for all, and I will continue to fight for the LGBTQI+ community in Congress. 

Congressmember Lateefah Simon, a Democrat and straight ally, is a member of Congress representing California’s 12th Congressional District, including Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, and Albany. In Congress she serves as vice chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus.