Ten years after the Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal through its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, that case has once again hit the spotlight, with a petition brought by Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis attempting to repeal the landmark decision. This conflict, coupled with a myriad of ongoing state and federal legal battles regarding the individual rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, highlights the erosion of civil rights protections under the Trump administration for many historically marginalized groups.

The fallout is leading to LGBTQ+ mental health struggles among young people. Project Spark, a recent study from the Trevor Project that “overlapped with a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and rhetoric,” found significant increases in anxiety, depression, and suicide rates among those ages 13-24.

“What that tells us is that we’re trending in the wrong direction when it comes to our young people who are already experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Janson Wu, of The Trevor Project. “The good news is that we know that having affirming adults, supportive families and environments can reverse that trend.”

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One example of this tension is in Massachusetts, where the Department of Children and Families (DCF) has begun stripping licenses from foster parents who refuse to sign a “LGBTQIA+ Non-Discrimination Policy.” In response, Massachusetts Family Institute and Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit against DCF on behalf of a Woburn couple that says the policy unfairly violates their Christian beliefs.

“For me, it’s very basic,” said Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of BAGLY, the Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth. “Do you want to be a foster parent because you care about young people and you want to support them and what’s best for them? And if you aren’t … then you have no business doing that.” The family at the center of the lawsuit against DCF disagrees.

Meanwhile, in Denver, state efforts to maintain a ban on conversion therapy are being met with resistance by a therapist who claims the ban violates the right to free speech. The battle has already made its way to the Supreme Court.

“It’s nothing that’s endorsed by respected medical professionals,” said Polly Crozier, director of family advocacy at GLAD Law, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “And young people are absolutely harmed by it and families, too. It sends a message that first there’s something wrong with being L, G, B or T.”

If that constitutional challenge is successful, it will ripple throughout the 20 other states with conversion therapy bans.

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“I would hope that the Supreme Court understands that states should have the ability to regulate their medical practice and to say, ‘You can’t perform what is really unethical and unsafe for children,” Crozier said.

These stories and more, on Under the Radar’s LGBTQ+ news roundtable!

Guests

  • Janson Wu, senior vice president of philanthropy 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 Law, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders 

Stories in this week’s roundtable