The Scene staff
It’s a new year, and the Missouri GOP is off to a horrid start.
Republicans in the state House of Representatives worked for passage of a stricter dress code, prohibiting women reps from wearing shoulder-revealing attire. The rules are now the same for men and women, but you have to wonder why this is such a big concern.
The change comes after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, another example of the government trying to control the bodies of women.
And let’s not forget that Missouri was the first state to ban once-legal abortions after the ruling.
Republicans continue to engage in culture-war and revenge politics, and now they’re targeting the LGBTQ community with Senate Bill 134.
It’s known as the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, which is Missouri’s version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
One of the sponsors is Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican who believes in the concept of “unborn children,” which is religion-based not science-based.
Senate Bill 134 prohibits the discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation by school personnel. It requires licensed mental health providers to inform parents before they discuss the topic with children.
On its face, that may seem like a reasonable request, but the more you think about it, the more it becomes painfully clear what a negative impact it would have on LGBTQ youths.
The bill’s goal is to scare children from being who they are, which could cause a multitude of problems for them when they get older.
These spineless Republicans are saying this is being done for their protection, the same argument they make whenever they want to take away the rights of trans people.
To have children, or anyone else for that matter, feel like they have to hide who they are out of fear of social and/or familial rejection only leads to negative outcomes.
“Concealing one’s sexual orientation can lead to significant mental and physical health issues, increased health care costs and dampening of the visibility necessary for advancing equal rights,” said John Pachankis, a professor at Yale School of Public Health.
A lot of social development happens during childhood, and it’s important for children (and adults) to discuss these feelings to understand who they are.
Despite the GOP’s efforts to make people think otherwise, there is nothing inherently wrong with being part of the LGBTQ community.
By including the phrase “child compassion and protection” in Senate Bill 134’s title, its sponsors are implying that being part of the LGBTQ community is in some way harmful, wrong or immoral.
There has long been anti-LGBTQ sentiment in popular right-wing media, and the Missouri bill aims to make its anti-LGBTQ rhetoric seem reasonable.
Two in three LGBTQ youths have had someone in their lives try to get them to change their gender identities or sexual orientations, according to studies reported by the American Association of Suicidology.
This aligns with the overall premise of hateful GOP attacks: That these children don’t know what they want, and parents can persuade them to be “normal.”
And there is a real possibility that these horrible parents can succeed in suppressing their children’s identities. They are incapable of comprehending that LGBTQ people are born that way.
Children should feel safe talking about something as sensitive as gender identity and sexual orientation.
Senate Bill 134 would serve as a deterrent for anyone who under 18 to seek advice from trusted counselors. It fits right in with the anti-LGBTQ campaign and targeting of transgender people that most Republicans and right-wing media have embraced.
Additionally, there are consequences that result from having horrible parents who fall victim to anti-LGBTQ rhetoric propagated by right-wing media. Youths try to change who they are, get kicked out of their homes or commit suicide, the worst possible outcome.
LGBTQ youths who undergo conversion therapy are twice as likely to attempt suicide as others, according to the studies reported by the American Association of Suicidology.
Much of the suicidal risk for LGBTQ people originates from lack of social and cultural acceptance
. From 2007 to 2019, 76% of LGBTQ youths felt that the political climate impacted their mental health and sense of self, the studies showed.
This isn’t surprising.
Republican politicians at the federal level are pushing blatantly false rhetoric, such as the claim that all transgender people are pedophiles and that they groom children.
Then they use their own made-up logic to dehumanize trans people and justify their own anti-LGBTQ policies. They would fund institutions that provide information and resources to deter treatment.
So, if the Missouri GOP truly wants to “protect children,” they would make it safer for those children to talk about why they’re feeling the way they do in private.
They would set up institutions that exclusively serve LGBTQ youths, helping them to understand why they feel suicidal. And lastly, they would stop their attacks and efforts to dehumanize trans people.
But it’s clear that they don’t intend to protect anything except their fragile and misinformed understanding of gender and sexuality.
One way we can stop these out-of-touch cowards from taking our rights away is to protest, get involved in the community and talk to our representatives by email or phone. Let them know there is real danger to their ignorance.
There’s also the option of joining an organization like the Democratic Socialists of America or other left-wing groups in Missouri that are looking to improve worker conditions and fighting for LGBTQ rights