All over the world, the LGBTQ+ community has had a long history of injustice, and they have continued to fight for their rights. From being rejected by several religions, having to live their lives in secret, the Stonewall Riot in the 1960s, the damage of the AIDS epidemic in the 80s, to the win with the legalisation of same-sex marriage in America in 2015, the queer community has come very far. But there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve true equality and justice.
As of recently, America has been moving backwards in many different areas such as female reproductive rights, fair treatment of all races and religions, and rights of the LGBTQ+ community. State legislatures have been failing minorities, notably LGBTQ+ identifying youth. There have been bans on gender affirming care for minors, what bathrooms trangender students can use at school, and what sports teams they can play on. A prevalent issue is the censorship and discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community in American schools.
What is censorship? According to the dictionary the definition of censor is, “the force that represses ideas, impulses, and feelings, and prevents them from entering consciousness in their original, undisguised forms.” Common synonyms of the word “censor,” are sanitize, suppress, restrict, withhold, delete, and blacklist. Censorship by the government is forced silencing.
Most common in red states, some legislatures have introduced bills that ban or put restrictions on discussions about gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, and race in schools (“Florida Advances ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill”). This is censorship silencing minorities. It directly harms students because it withholds knowledge from them. They can’t learn about their queer family members, neighbors, in some cases themselves, or just diversity in general (“As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most”). In order to grow into respectful human beings, children need to learn about all different types of people (Kleinrock).
One of the first and most popular anti-LGBTQ+ legislations is Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, introduced by governor Ron DeSantis, and also known as House Bill 1557. The bill bans teachers from talking about gender and sexuality (“Florida Advances ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill”). It started as a ban for grades kindergarten through 8th grade, and then expanded to include all grade levels. The law doesn’t just involve teachers and verbal instruction, but it has to do with book banning as well.
Moms for Libros is an organization in Florida working to combat the censorship issue. They focus a lot on book banning, and advocate at a school board-level. They want young people to be free to learn, without the censorship of ‘sensitive topics’ like race and the LGBTQ+ community (“US: Florida School Laws Discriminate against Black, LGBTQ People”). According to Human Rights Watch, “Moms for Libros teaches parents the logistics of advocacy at the school board: how to register for public comment, how to prepare for public speaking, and how to build relationships with school board members” (“US: Florida School Laws Discriminate against Black, LGBTQ People”). Education on how to fight back professionally is a key point to making change.
Another Florida organization fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ youth is PRISM. PRISM was founded in 2020 by Maxx Fenning and a group of fellow students (“LGBT | PRISM | Florida”). Their official mission statement reads, “PRISM works to expand access to LGBTQ-inclusive education and sexual health resources for youth in South Florida. It’s our goal to make sure everyone feels included in their community, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression” (“LGBT | PRISM | Florida”). They work to combat things like the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill and make sure that education is LGBTQ+ inclusive.
Issues of censorship and discrimination don’t just exist in Florida, although they are very prevalent there. These problems are all over the U.S. and the rest of the world. In the U.S. there is anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in 42 out of 50 U.S states (“Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2024”). The only states currently without anti-LGBTQ+ legislation are California, Nevada, Montana, North Dakota, Arkansas, New York, and Connecticut (“Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2024). Even Massachusetts, a state where every region voted blue in the 2024 election, and that has a lesbian governor, has two anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Both of them are related to censorship in schools.
In Indiana, there are no protections in place against the bullying of LGBTQ+ students at school (“Indiana Lawmakers are Making Life Worse for LGBTQ Youth”). The bullying makes queer and trans kids afraid to be out at school. Their peers are against them and so is their government. Indiana “lawmakers haven’t even scheduled a hearing for a pending bill that would prohibit discrimination in education based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and protect children from being punished for who they are” (“Indiana Lawmakers are Making Life Worse for LGBTQ Youth”). Trans kids are the main target for bullying. Reported by the Human Rights Campaign, there were 128 reported murders of trans people in the U.S. between 2013 and 2019 (Amer). 128 reported murder cases of a specific minority group is already a lot, but there are without a doubt many more that have gone unreported. When it comes to transgender students in Indiana there, “are advancing restrictions on transgender children in schools – limiting which bathrooms they can use, what sports they can play, and whether they can learn about themselves in class” (“Indiana Lawmakers are Making Life Worse for LGBTQ Youth”).
In Tennessee, parents can exempt their children from lessons where gender and sexuality are talked about (“Lawmakers are Harming LGBTQ Youth”). In Texas, the Department of Family and Protective Services is considering a declaration that says parents supporting their transgender children is a form of child abuse (“As Fewer Anti-LGBTQ Bills Pass, The Fight Gets Harder”). Overall, the sex education around the LGBTQ+ community is extremely poor. Most health teachers are still told to teach abstinence. There is barely any education on LGBTQ+ history (“Lawmakers are Harming LGBTQ Youth”).
This isn’t just a problem in the United States, either. In Ghana, if people advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in campaigns that are directed towards youth, they can be sentenced to ten years in prison (“As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most”). Jail time for activism is censorship in its most evil form. Advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda can result in up to 20 years in prison. Also in Uganda, consensual homosexual intercourse is punishable by life in prison, and “aggravated homosexuality” receives the death penalty (“As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most”). Russia and Hungary are similar in the case of their bans of LGBTQ+ representation in media, especially when they are positive portrayals or in media directed towards children (“As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most”).
Censorship of the LGBTQ+ community in schools directly harms children. It stops learning and the spread of ideas. It adds more stigma to an already marginalized community. People who are LGBTQ+ identifying are demonized and seen as “inappropriate for children.” It really hurts the children because they, “are deliberately kept in the dark about important topics in the world around them ranging from family diversity to current events to comprehensive sexuality education” (“As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most”). LGBTQ+ kids are harmed the most because they can’t learn about their own community. Governments are focusing on the wrong issue. They want to protect kids from harmless people enjoying their lives, instead of poverty, hunger, child labor, and lack of education (“As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most”).
Some anti-LGBTQ+ legislation forces teachers and school officials to out queer and trans students to their family members (“As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most”). By doing that, children are put in direct danger. Children are kicked out, beaten, bullied, and sometimes even killed by their unsupportive family members, simply for being gay or transgender. This is a direct breach of confidentiality that can subject children to harm.
School is supposed to be a safe place for youth to go to learn, socialize, and be supported. Censorship and discrimination of an entire community makes students who are a part of that community feel that they don’t matter. Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill significantly limits, “the ability of counselors and teachers to be a confidential resource for students, including LGBT students who may not feel safe or comfortable asking questions about sexual orientation or gender identity to family members” (“Florida Advances ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill”). Every kid deserves to be able to talk to a trusted adult about any problems they may be facing, without the fear of their families being notified, unless the problem involves harming themself or others, obviously.
For many queer and trans students school is a place full of bullying, and they have a lack of resources there. They are scared to go to school. A high school senior from Florida said, “People feel empowered to attack queer students because if the legislators can do it, they think they can do it too. I’ve heard slurs being said constantly and no teacher bats an eye and it’s like, whoa, why aren’t you doing anything about it? We need more protections for queer students. We need schools that are an inclusive space” (“US: Florida School Laws Discriminate against Black, LGBTQ People”). Queer kids are twice as likely to be subjected to bullying than heterosexual kids, and for transgender youth, the likelihood is even higher (“Lawmakers are Harming LGBTQ Youth”).
Discrimination isn’t the only problem. LGBTQ+ youth are also more prone to having mental health issues (“Lawmakers are Harming LGBTQ Youth”). In the queer and trans communities, suicide rates are high, “Lesbian, gay, and bisexual teens are three times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, and transgender teens are six times more likely” (Amer). Censorship and discrimination only make the already prevalent issues worse, especially when it is coming straight from the government. The government is supposed to be for the people. Why does that not include all people?
Learning about “taboo” things like the LGBTQ+ community or race is important for all children, regardless of their identity or background. It can be done appropriately. Lindsay Amer, who prefers to go by Lindz, teaches age appropriate lessons about the LGBTQ+ community. They do it through their YouTube show. Amer says, “Gender is about how we feel and how we express ourselves. Sexuality is about love and gender and family, not about sex” (Amer). It is not inappropriate. Young kids internalize the world, and learning about diversity is an extremely important component of socialization for children (Amer).
Kids learning about taboo topics teaches them to be kind, open minded, and respectful. Talking about taboo topics with youth helps them know better, and that some comments can be hurtful (Kleinrock). We need to end the stigma around topics that have been classified as taboo. If topics like racism are “brushed aside,” students will think that it is okay to be racist or hateful (Kleinrock). The teaching of taboo topics helps students learn right from wrong and fair from unfair. Students should be comfortable in school and feel that it is okay to ask questions and/or make mistakes (Kleinrock). Third grade teacher Liz Kleinrock said, “When we act like our students aren’t capable of having these conversations, we actually do them such a disservice,” and that “Silence speaks volumes” (Kleinrock). One of Kleinrock’s third grade students said that learning about topics deemed “sensitive” or “inappropriate” is important to education because “We (kids) can think the same way you (adults) do.”
Educating kids about the LGBTQ+ community teaches them to be accepting towards others and confident in themselves. Amer said, “Talk to a kid about gender. Talk to a kid about sexuality. Teach them about consent. Tell them it is okay for boys to wear dresses and girls to speak up” (Amer).
All of the issues discussed above are about to get much worse with Donald Trump coming into office. Project 2025 in its simplicity is a plan made by extreme conservatives for Trump’s second presidency, that will directly attack LGBTQ+ rights. It includes, “rolling back existing nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, reinstating the transgender military ban, and codifying state restrictions on transgender rights at the federal level, in addition to limiting recognition of same-sex relationships” (“As Fewer Anti-LGBTQ Bills Pass, The Fight Gets Harder”).
Many members of the LGBTQ+ community are extremely fearful for what is to come. Some have even considered moving out of the country. Will minorities be safe? What does this mean for the education system and the youth? Will Project 2025 pass and be set into motion? Only time will tell. The fight continues.
Works Cited
Amer, Lindsay. “Why kids need to learn about gender and sexuality.” Ted Talk, May 2019, https://www.ted.com/talks/lindsay_amer_why_kids_need_to_learn_about_gender_and_sexuality?subtitle=en.
“How they Defend the Freedom to Learn.” Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/feature/2024/07/18/how-they-defend-the-freedom-to-learn/stories-and-a-blueprint-from-florida.
Kleinrock, Liz. “How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics.” Ted Talk, January 2019, https://www.ted.com/talks/liz_kleinrock_how_to_teach_kids_to_talk_about_taboo_topics?subtitle=en.
“LGBT | PRISM | Florida.” PRISM,
https://www.prismfl.org/.
“Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. Stale Legislatures in 2024.” ACLU, https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights-2024?state=&impact=.
“Myths and Facts: Battling Disinformation About Transgender Rights.” HRC, https://www.hrc.org/resources/myths-and-facts-battling-disinformation-about-transgender-rights.
Thoreson, Ryan. “As Fewer Anti-LGBTQ Bills Pass, The Fight Gets Harder.” Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/27/fewer-anti-lgbtq-bills-pass-fight-gets-harder.
Thoreson, Ryan. “As Governments Demonize LGBTQ+ Rights, Children Lose the Most.” Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/01/governments-demonize-lgbtq-rights-children-lose-most.
Thoreson, Ryan. “Florida Advances ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill.” Human Rights Watch, 17 February 2022,
https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/02/17/florida-advances-dont-say-gay-bill.
Thoreson, Ryan. “Indiana Lawmakers are Making Life Worse for LGBTQ Youth.” Human Rights Watch, 14 March 2022, https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/14/indiana-lawmakers-are-making-life-worse-lgbtq-youth.
Thoreson, Ryan. “Lawmakers Are Harming LGBTQ+ Youth Published in: The Progressive Magazine.” Human Rights Watch, 21 July 2021, https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/07/21/lawmakers-are-harming-lgbtq-youth.
“US: Florida School Laws Discriminate against Black, LGBTQ People.” Human Rights Watch, 19 June 2024, https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/19/us-florida-school-laws-discriminate-against-black-lgbtq-people.
