How queer youth are handing the election and what we need to do to support them.
Many of us in the queer community have experienced a roller-coaster of emotions in the last few weeks because of the election results. I think that many of us are really struggling with processing what the future might hold for us and our loved ones. Some of us are feeling really sad, some are filled with rage, some have a constant pit of fear churning in our bellies, some of us have oscillating waves of all three. For the adults in the queer community, this has been an incredibly challenging and difficult pill to swallow. For the young people in our community, it goes beyond that. To them, this feels like the apocalypse. Which is why I have dedicated all my efforts these last few weeks to support the young people in our community. These last couple of weeks have yielded some really ugly moments, some really bad ones, but also some good ones.
The Ugly
- My queer teenager spent 24 hours so depressed he couldn’t get out of bed.
- The kids in my GSA group whole-heartedly believe that they are going to lose all their rights and are fearful for their physical safety.
- Queer youth are inundated with homophobic and transphobic content on their social media–and not just from influencers and politicians, but from people in their local community and even their own family members.
The Bad
- Adults in leadership positions are scared to take a stand and publicly support queer issues for fear of seeming “too political” or “divisive”.
- People in general, even queer allies, are hesitant to openly discuss the issues young queer people are concerned about because they are worried about intense negative responses. This is creating a deafening silence for young people who need to feel as though they are being publicly defended.
- Young queer people feel divided by their beliefs about what they should do next. Some want to get louder and be publicly active in their protests and some want to retreat to safety and weather the storm.
The Good
- There has been an outpouring of support from adults at my school who sent words of affirmation and encouragement to our GSA students.
- Many adults have asked to come to our GSA meetings to introduce themselves as a safe adult. Some even identified themselves as part of the queer community for the first time at school.
- The queer community online and locally has rallied to support our young people like I’ve never seen before. We are standing up and standing together.
It is my hope that in the coming months, we as a community wrap around the young queer people in our lives. They are especially susceptible to public opinion and fear mongering, so while we need to hear their fears, we need to work extra hard to help them feel safe both privately and publicly, mentally and physically. So, I challenge us all to lead with love with our young people in our hearts and minds.