I had a safe space in middle school to explore my LGBTQ identity. Don’t let NC take that away.
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Bill puts LGBTQ+ students at risk
The writer is a chapter coordinator for PFLAG in Charlotte, which unites parents, families and friends of LGBTQ+ people.
The N.C. legislature has introduced a bill that could require teachers to out gay, gender-nonconforming and transgender students to their families. For the safety and well-being of students, lawmakers must reject it.
My middle school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance was a safe space where LGBTQ+ kids could explore our identities without fear. Coming from a relatively conservative household, I wasn’t sure how my parents would respond to me being transgender. I was sure the Alliance knew exactly what I needed — an affirming, secure place to be myself. In a world where being myself was scary or downright dangerous, that classroom saved my life. It showed me that being my authentic self was OK and valid.
Many students have similar stories. They illustrate why the National Education Association advises schools to consider a child’s safety and well-being when communicating with parents of students who are gender nonconforming.
The American Academy of Pediatricians also stresses the importance of confidential care: “(it) is not the role of the pediatrician to inform parents/guardians about the teenager’s sexual identity or behavior,” as such can expose youth to harm.
In an ideal world, parents would provide the safe space for students. But we know that’s not always the case. Studies show a disproportionate number of homeless young people identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, more than one in 10 transgender people have been evicted from their homes.
A robust body of research also shows that family rejection and non-affirmation are associated with extreme risk for poor mental health and severe outcomes, including suicide and substance abuse.
A student’s decision of when and who to come out to is a deeply personal choice that should be left up to them rather than their teachers. School must be a place where youth can experience the opportunities for affirmation that I did, without fear of our identities being shared with families before it’s safe to do so.
Devin Green, Charlotte
Abortion: Are we a caring society?
The writer is board president of WomenNC.org.
When I was almost 17 and pregnant, I had to travel across several states for a legal abortion. This experience — prior to Roe v. Wade —was terrifying.
We have come a long way in supporting young women in their sexual and reproductive health choices with better care and follow-up after procedures. We have advanced in better contraceptive options and decreased unintended pregnancies. In North Carolina, teen pregnancy rates have decreased from 21.8 pregnancies per 1,000 young women to 17.3 between 2016 and 2020.
We are at a watershed moment concerning women’s sexual and reproductive rights, as we see NC politicians and others chomping at this opportunity to take away a woman’s right to choose.
Decisions about unintended pregnancies are not easy no matter what age or circumstance. It is a private matter. It is also an issue of rights and justice for women that will disproportionately impact Black and Brown women.
We have been facing over two years of a pandemic where women still care for children, elders, and others and yet who has been most affected? Even more, the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic has been unjustly placed on women of color.
The health disparities are concerning for maternal mortality and morbidity. Between 2018 and 2020 in the U.S. the maternal mortality among Black women increased by 48%. Health disparities and personal empowerment are directly impacted by equality and rights over one’s own body.
We have achieved gains in lowering high school dropout rates in North Carolina, which is associated with decreased adolescent births; will these gains in education for adolescent girls be lost?
We also know that if Roe is overturned there will be deaths and botched illegal abortions. Who will be most affected? Adolescents, women of color, women who live in poverty. We must ask ourselves, are we a caring society or a controlling one?
Wendee Wechsberg, Raleigh
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 11:42 AM with the headline "I had a safe space in middle school to explore my LGBTQ identity. Don’t let NC take that away.."