If you have been anywhere near a television in the past couple months, you have been bombarded with political ads.
Many have spouted phrases like “they’re trying to turn boy into girls” and “teaching radical gender identities to children.” These ads use typical fearmongering tactics to demonize LGBTQ youth and the adults who care for and support them. They also put the health, wellbeing and safety of kids at risk.
There are many young people in our state who will not live to adulthood because they do not have the support they need. This is especially true for transgender and nonbinary young people. As adults in this community, it is our responsibility to help these kids survive. The suicidality rate for trans kids is significantly higher than their non-trans peers.
Multiple studies in recent years have also shown that trans and gender nonconforming people are significantly more likely to be victims of violent crimes. Later this month, communities around the world will be holding vigils for the Trans Day of Remembrance. Every year we recognize TDoR to memorialize those who have died that year from transphobic violence.
Trans people are killed so often that we require an annual event to continually respond to these deaths. TDoR is an important event, and the ongoing need for this type of commemoration speaks volumes about trans people’s need for support and protection
Trans kids face the constant risk of violence, bullying and ostracization. At the same time, they are bombarded with messages that they are damaged, misguided, even dangerous. Do not underestimate the power you have to change kids’ lives, just by letting them know that you see them as human beings who deserve respect and safety.
Trans youth need adult allies. Perhaps you feel that you don’t know how to support trans youth because you don’t totally understand the issues they face. It’s okay if you don’t fully understand. I am a trans person, and I don’t always know all the terminology or relate to the experience of trans kids today. But I do know that their lives have value and that they need to be treated with care and respect.
Our journey to good allyship starts with understanding basic information about trans kids. You have probably heard some of the lies and deceptive claims that are made about trans youth. It’s our job to counter these messages with the truth and to offer support in the face of prejudice.
Not every trans kid is expecting to be able to medically transition while still a child. Advocating for trans kids does not mean that we provide them with irreversible medical treatments. Even within the LGBTQ community, I have heard adults say that trans kids should not be allowed access to trans-affirming care.
I think that often this comes from a misguided attempt to protect trans youth. Most people debating this issue do not have a clear understanding of what trans-related support and care looks like for young people.
Many trans young people are simply seeking the right to transition socially. Social transition involves wearing clothing that makes the child most comfortable in their identity and using a name and pronouns that align with the child’s gender identity. Social transition can include other things that affirm the child and keep them safe, such as access to either private restrooms or the restrooms that match the child’s identity.
Along with social transition, some trans kids seek access to medical interventions. Trans health care for young people can include hormone blockers, to delay the onset of puberty, or hormone treatments to allow the person to develop the secondary sex characteristics that align with their gender identity.
Anti-trans messaging aims to convince you that frequently medical professionals are surgically altering the bodies of children. This is simply not happening. Surgical interventions are extremely rare for transgender minors. I have known of some transgender young people who have had chest reconstruction surgeries in their late teens, but this is uncommon and a far cry from the claims being made about surgeries on children.
Sometimes we hear people say that trans kids should be denied access to care and support because “we should just let kids be kids.” However, when we support and care for trans youth, we are providing them with the ability to be themselves, we are letting them be kids and trusting them when they tell us who they are! The same is true for all kids who identify within the LGBTQ community. We allow them to be kids when we affirm them and support them in who they are.
We have witnessed people in power bullying LGBTQ kids for years now. We have seen the young people of our community used as political pawns. We know the harm that this can cause.
No matter how you feel about the outcome of the midterm elections, I hope that we can all agree LGBTQ young people deserve safety, care and respect. As adults in the LGBTQ community, let’s be unwavering in our commitment to being good allies to LGBTQ youth. Let’s help give them a fair chance to grow into their fullest potential as the future leaders of our community.
Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw is the Senior Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, MCCTampa.com. He and his husband are the proud fathers of two wonderful children.
