Working Toward a Better Future for LGBTQIA+ Youth

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released information from a survey in January-June 2021 that highlighted the importance of our continued work toward a safer, more just world for LGBTQIA+ people. Funded by the federal CARES Act, the CDC's first national survey of high school students revealed that one in four teenagers identifying as LGBTQIA+ reported a suicide attempt during the first half of 2021.

 

In the words of Dr. Scott Hadland, the Chief of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School:

"When we discriminate against #LGBTQ ppl on topics like same-sex marriage, workplace discrimination, trans athletes, K-3 ed: queer teens are listening, internalizing, and suffering."

When state leaders in Texas pursued anti-trans legislation, The Trevor Project reported an influx of crisis contacts with young Texans, and has found that discriminatory legislation negatively impacts the mental health of LGBTQIA+ young people.

While transgender, gender diverse, nonbinary children, youth and their families face, misunderstanding and discrimination across our country, Beyond Pink and Blue: Trans+Family and Spiritual Care on May 14, 2022 at Bethesda Presbyterian Church provides educational resources and support for families, faith leaders and congregations. Registration is required, but you can participate either in person or online at no cost.

As the Covenant Network of Presbyterians enters our 25th year as an organization, we persist toward an equity still not fully realized for LGBTQIA+ people in church and society.