LGBTQIA community makes strides—and faces setbacks

Anti LGBTQIA+ laws have been enforced in many places around the world to the point where it has led to hate crimes. Actions such as bills and hate speech play a big part in contributing to these crimes. Because of this, the LGBTQIA+ community feels as though they are being pushed back into the closet, endangering their safety. They feel as if at any moment, anyone could do them harm because they wanted to express that they were proud of who they are and accept their identity.

The ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ is just one of the numerous examples of this. Beginning on March 8, state senators from Florida and Texas proposed bills that involve silencing LGBTQIA+ voices in schools, thus erasing their history and existence from the community itself. The legislation passed in Florida left governor Ron DeSantis, someone who has expressed his disapproval of LGBTQIA+ teachings in school, to make a final decision on the matter. These bills could harm children, considering the "heteronormativity" that is forced onto children already. Examples are, asking a 5-year-old girl if she has a boyfriend, or telling an underage boy that he is going to be a “ladies man” when he grows up. So, why is it objectionable to teach children about loving someone of the same gender?

“I think that if children can be exposed to heterosexual relationships, then they should be exposed to homosexual relationships,” said DDHS Pride Club leader Shelby Wellstrum. “As soon as you start talking about any relationship, gay people should be included in the conversation.”

Many people may argue that teaching this in school pushes homosexuality on to children and “confuses” them, which has been proven false. If this were the case, the same people who are crossing their arms and shaking their heads at this would be up in arms about the heterosexual relationships that have been taught to kids. Every show, movie, and video game children play/interact with have almost all involve straight couples: Phineas and Ferb, Snow White, and Mario all involve female and male relationships.

The most common company to give little representation to the LGBTQIA+ community is the Walt Disney Co. Some of their characters are LGBTQIA+ coded, and a lot of the representation is cut from the final product. An example of this is the new Disney voice-overs on Tiktok who are unable to say LGBTQIA+ related words, such as lesbian and trans, as well as gay.

While there also might be a lot of misrepresentation in the media as well, there are some pieces of media that use LGBTQIA+ representation quite well. An example of this is the show known as The Owl House, where we have an LGBTQIA+ leading cast, with our main character Luz Noceda being a bisexual POC. This is a bonus because POC LGBTQIA+ don’t have much representation, so it was nice to see some for a change.

Methods of showing representation have been made a lot clearer in recent years, however movies and TV shows with LGBTQIA+ depiction have always been around, and they have never been expressed as anything other than a bad stereotype. In movies like ParaNorman where one of the main characters, Mitch, is informed to be gay at the end of the movie, this is one of the first upfront mentions of a person part of the LGBTQIA+ community in a kid's movie, opening a door for more to come.

In the past items such as makeup, dresses, and nail polish were labeled “feminine” products/attire whilst items including watches, suits, and even loafers were seen as something only men could wear, but all that nonsense is old news. In recent years fashion has been more inclusive providing styles and outfits that can be worn by every gender. Even popular icons now such as singer Harry Styles, actor Billy Porter, and rapper Kid Cudi have all worn dresses and it is all thanks to the LGBTQIA community.

Trans activist, drag queen, and icon Marsha P Johnson was known for her marches and riots, fighting for gay rights, in the 60s paving the way for millions of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Fashion has a big part to play in the community, it is a form of expression and identity, however, fashion does not equal nor come close to gender. Most individuals believe if someone is wearing a dress it automatically means they are/identify as female, but that is not the case; pronouns play a big part not only in the LGBTQIA+ community but also for example if a person goes by they/them pronouns and chooses to wear a skirt one day does not mean their identity should be invalidated, going back to how times have changed and clothes should not be labeled as being strictly for girls or boys only, anyone and everyone should be allowed to wear whatever they choose to without having to worry about being misgendered or bullied. If someone goes by she/her and decides to wear a suit, who is ANYONE to decide if women can wear a suit and look proud doing it? If someone goes by he/him and decides to wear a big poofy dress, why should it matter if dresses were “designed” for women? Doesn't matter who the clothes were “designed for”. Anyone should be allowed to wear clothes that make them feel happy and comfortable.

Though there are various amounts of anti LGBTQIA+ propaganda in the media and schools, there is also widespread support being broadcasted everywhere. Implements include gender-neutral bathrooms that are being built in many schools, gyms, malls, and more to make trans men and women and non-binary people feel more comfortable and safe as it prevents violent attacks and being called slurs.

Despite that, transgender-neutral bathrooms have also been a problem and still are a problem to this day in a LOT of public schools. Some high schools, including our own, will have keys to even be able to access the restrooms at all. This can feel quite unfair to some people, as they would most likely feel that their restrooms should not be locked and have to go and ask for a key simply because they need to do a daily thing in everyday life.

After all, anyone under the trans umbrella should be allowed to use the restroom like a normal human being, without needing a key. While we do understand that it is most likely for safety, most people would probably find it to be rather unfair that they have to use a key to get into the restroom at their school while cis kids don't. To add to this most trans people are forced to use gender-neutral bathrooms because others feel uncomfortable or fear for their safety which as a whole feeds into the harmful narrative that transgender individuals, specifically women, are dangerous. Gender-neutral bathrooms were made so non-binary and trans men and women feel safe and comfortable not to keep them in the box they have been trying to get out of for years

Trans individuals have been shown in a negative light for years for just living, whether it's being mocked in TV/movies, having a false interpretation put on them by the news, or just wanting to try out for a sport they enjoy. In recent years, there has been a debate on if transgender athletes should be able to participate in the Olympics, more specifically gender assigned teams and categories. This can heavily discourage anyone under the trans umbrella from even TRY and competing, out of fear of them being discriminated against. Trans women face the most discrimination when addressing this topic, some people feel as though it would be “unfair” because they (trans women) have a higher testosterone percentage because they were assigned male at birth, which is transphobia disguised as concern. Some various rules and regulations already hold back or do not allow trans people to compete such as when a someone who is trans decides to transition or has transitioned, by taking hormone blocker, estrogen, testosterone, etc. have to wait a year until they can switch to a different gendered category.

For changes to occur, we as a society need to start listening to L.G.B.T.Q.I.A voices instead of ostracizing them for being who they are. With a new generation coming, it is more important than ever to teach them about this community instead of trying to shelter them from it by doing this such as making laws or banning members of the LGBTQIA+ community from sports.