Anti-LGBTQ Laws Negatively Impact Mental Health

It's clear that anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) laws negatively impact mental health. Recently several states have passed laws harmful to the LGBTQ community. These laws reinforce the stigma attached to being LGBTQ and hurt people. Rooted in fear, these laws contribute to the higher rates of mental illness and suicide in the LGBTQ community. In this video, I explore these laws.

What Are the Anti-LGBTQ Laws?

First there's the "therapist bill," which allows therapists with sincerely held beliefs to reject LGBTQ clients. While this is advantageous in ruling out the bigots, it is no different than allowing a doctor with sincerely held beliefs to refuse to treat someone who is bleeding to death. The last thing an LGBTQ person in crisis needs is a therapist telling them they're an abomination (When LGBT Discrimination, Stigma Affects Your Mental Health).

Then there's the "bathroom bill." Anyone peeking in the stalls to see the other person's genitals is out of line, regardless of gender identity, and there are already laws against that. There are more Congressmen convicted for sexual misconduct in bathrooms than transgendered people, and more transgendered people have been assaulted in bathrooms than the other way around. People should use the bathroom their current genitals match without fear of being assaulted. Transgendered people are not trying to get sex. They just want to go to the bathroom.

Hypocrisy and Anti-LGBTQ Laws

Finally, there's the case of former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, who recently admitted to being a serial child molester. The people calling for these harmful bills are the same people who defended him and asked for mercy for a man who said molesters should get life. How can you enforce morality on the LGBTQ community if you won't enforce it on yourself? Politicians need to butt out of our personal lives until they're willing to lead by example.

Let us treat one another with grace.

Anti-LGBTQ Laws: Which One May Be Helpful?

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