Heath: Our children deserve better

Heidi Carrington Heather
| Guest columnist

On Friday evenings in our Portsmouth office you will hear the sound of laughter coming from one of the many classrooms in our building. You’ll probably see a group of high school students working on an art project, discussing their school week, or talking about their latest crush. They come from different families and backgrounds throughout the Seacoast (and beyond). What connects them is their experience as LGBTQ+ young people and students. They have the opportunity to be seen, heard and held in a community of their peers. It is my incredible privilege as Executive Director of Seacoast Outright to help create space for community and joy at a time when our children (and their families) are increasingly under attack.

I have long been proud that New Hampshire has consistently and clearly supported the rights of LGBTQ+ Granite Staters, and especially those of our LGBTQ+ youth. In 2018, Governor Sununu signed a landmark bill to combat transgender discrimination. This bill provided critical protections in housing, public accommodations, and more for transgender Granite Staters. He also signed a bill banning the harmful practice of conversion therapy for minors. Governor Sununu then did the right thing. My question is: what about now, Governor?

The past two years have seen unprecedented attacks on LGBTQ+ youth. We are on the cusp of the passage of multiple devastating bills for transgender youth and their families in New Hampshire. Despite a resounding defeat last May, we are again confronted with a bill that forcibly outsources students to their parents. The Legislature is considering multiple bans on transgender girls’ participation in sports, and a major dismantling of the 2018 nondiscrimination protections that our governor was eager to sign into law just five years ago. But this time Sununu was silent.

On behalf of LGBTQ+ youth and families in the Granite State, I want to be loud and clear: nothing has changed since 2018, Governor Sununu. Instead, the national climate for LGBTQ+ youth has become more hostile, not less.

Middle school and high school are hard enough – for all kids. Being transgender in this climate makes it even more difficult. They don’t need politicians bullying them by allowing these dangerous bills to become law.

There are deep and profound costs to the dehumanizing rhetoric we see in the State House and the silence we see from Governor Sununu. We see its impact every day at Seacoast Outright. Our children and their families are terrified and struggling. We have lost young people in the LGBTQ+ community in New Hampshire to suicide this past year as we have had to watch their personalities discussed by those tasked with protecting and caring for them.

The Trevor Project recently published a statistic showing that 47% of transgender and non-binary youth believe their chances of reaching age 35 are low. My heart breaks when I read that data, and yet I understand why it can feel that way. They see that too few adults are committed to protecting and caring for them, and far too many are doing the opposite.

All our children deserve to be safe at school. They deserve confidential access to safe adults to process their coming out stories and identities on their own terms. They deserve access to spaces and places they need to thrive.

All of our children deserve the protective factors that come with participating in a team sport. What young person doesn’t hope for a deeper sense of belonging, the camaraderie of peers and an opportunity to excel at something? This is an essential part of growing up.

Instead, we are about to make schools less safe and take away access to sports. Our children deserve better than this, Governor Sununu. The children of Seacoast Outright, your children, and all the children of the Granite State deserve better.

This is an opportunity to remember your own words from 2018: “Discrimination – in any form – is unacceptable and goes against the Live Free or Die Spirit of New Hampshire. If we truly want to be the Live Free or Die State, we must ensure that New Hampshire is a place where everyone, regardless of background, has an equal and full opportunity to pursue their dreams and build a better life for themselves. their families.”

At our Outright parent and caregiver group we ask the question: who are you here for? I’ll ask you the same question, Governor. Who are YOU here for? Our state’s LGBTQ+ youth deserve to know this. It’s time for you to make your voice heard now. Granite Staters await.

Heidi Carrington Heath (she/her) is Executive Director of Seacoast Outright, NH’s oldest LGBTQ+ organization. Seacoast Outright serves, supports, and advocates for LGBTQ+ youth throughout New Hampshire. Heidi is passionate about building a Granite State where all NH children can thrive. She lives in Exeter.

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