This is a time when we get to celebrate sexual and gender diversity, a reminder that human beings embody rich varieties of experiences and identities. The community also invites reconsideration of norms; norms that are so embedded in our culture that they are largely invisible. For the LGBTQ+ community, this process requires breathtaking courage, especially now. There is a surge of hostility in our society that is moving into public policy. According to the Human Rights Campaign, there have been more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced this year in states across the country. If I look beyond the political benefits of energizing groups through scapegoating, I genuinely cannot understand the fervor around restricting rights and rendering an entire group of people invisible. These bills remove freedoms, meddle with evidence-based medical treatments, restrict self-expression, ban literature, and even forbid schools from acknowledging the existence of LGBTQ+ families.
My friend also showed breathtaking ignorance that sexual orientation in the form of heteronormativity is taught from the moment we are born. Rather than give a list of examples, please watch this youtube video. Through an exercise in empathy, the segment highlights what it means to grow up in our society and the myriad of ways someone is required to hide, pretend, and feel shame about themselves if they do not fit into what is deemed the “norm.” (If you wonder what kind of impacts this has, here is a glimpse: mental health impacts).
Regarding HB 1557, there is no question that it is a barely concealed attack on the LGBTQ+ community since its nickname is the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” Florida’s ACLU chapter writes:
[The Parental Rights in Education Bill] is a government censorship bill that would ban classroom discussions related to sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. It would silence students from speaking about their LGBTQ+ family members, friends, neighbors, and icons. It would also bar LGBTQ+ students from talking about their own lives, experiences, and families and would deny their very existence. The dangerously vague provisions in the bill would have a chilling effect on support for LGBTQ+ youth by creating new costly liabilities for school districts. Under the bill’s provisions, parents unsupportive of a district’s policies would be given broad powers to sue for damages and attorney’s fees.
What is not included in the ACLU’s statement are the dangers that emerge within the school community. What might happen if a homophobic/transphobic parent gets wind of any student, family, or teacher who has a different sexual orientation or gender identity from them? What kind of hostility might emerge? How might the community turn on them? What if that student ends up being the child of that parent? Ironically, HB 1557 gives us a taste…
I stated earlier that Pride Month is a time to celebrate, but it is more than that. It will hopefully be the continuation or the beginning of the time to take a stand: stand with our LGBTQ+ friends and their right to live full, rich lives; stand against the efforts to vilify and oppress the community; and stand tall when anyone tries to diminish you for your advocacy.
Definition
Heteronormativity- a set of assumptions that suggest that what is normal and natural is heterosexuality. Heterosexuality is deemed superior to other sexual orientations and can lead to the actions that restrict, shame, and dehumanize anyone who does not fit into this category.
https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/the-state-legislative-attack-on-lgbtq-people