Pride Month is coming to a close, but pushback against the LGBTQ+ community — and this celebratory month — continues on.
This year, Target reduced its Pride merchandise following last year’s debacle — a move Janson Wu, senior director of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project, said is most disappointing for those living in less-affirming communities.
But the importance of Pride Month is clear in the poignant story of Col. Edward Thomas Ryan, who came out as gay in his own obituary.
“It’s both a reminder of the challenges that people continue to face, but also that, in the end, he was able to at least affirm who he was for folks,” said Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of BAGLY.
In Massachusetts, the House of Representatives passed the Parentage Act, guaranteeing equal rights for LGBTQ+ parents. The act passed unanimously and with bipartisan support but hasn’t yet been taken up by the Senate. The next frontier is the expansion of access to IVF, said Polly Crozier, director of family advocacy at GLAD.
“Once we get past protecting the parent-child relationships, which I think is really top of the mind, then we need to make sure that everybody has access to fertility health care on an equal basis,” Crozier said.
The hot-button issue of health care access for transgender youth is also facing its next obstacle: the Supreme Court of the United States. The court has agreed to hear a Tennessee case as its first gender-affirming care for minors in its upcoming term, meaning that a precedent-setting ruling on state-level restrictions could come before next June.
Meanwhile, NBA superstar Dwyane Wade has continued his vehement support of the trans community with the recent launch of Translatable, an online community aimed at trans youth and their families. Wu said a recent study from The Trevor Project found that the positive effects of creating communities like Translatable can save lives.
“When young people have safe and affirming spaces, whether those are physical spaces like home, in the community, their schools, or online, their risk of depression and suicidality decreases tremendously,” Wu said.
These stories and more on this week’s LGBTQ+ roundtable.
Guests
- Janson Wu, senior director of advocacy and government affairs at The Trevor Project.
- Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of BAGLY, the Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth.
- Polly Crozier, director of family advocacy at GLAD, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.
