Change Your World Week Winter 2021 (Archived)
The Problem
Over the years, their have been many issues with equal rights when it comes to the LGBTQ community. Believe it or not, hates crimes are still a very large factor towards the community. 1 out of 5 hate crimes are directed specifically towards people with different sexual orientation. The youth in the LGBTQ community are also at a greater risk and are 2 to 3 times more likely to attempt suicide and/or be homeless. There is a lack of laws which would protect them from being bullied at school, as well as a lack of social programs and health care providers which are specifically trained to treat people in the LGBTQ community.
“Those who have been rejected by their families are more than eight times more likely to attempt suicide than those who are accepted by their families” (Bailey, et al 2017)
Sign our petition HERE
The Policy Solution
Change Needs to Occur
The policy we want to enact is a dedicated resource and support group for LGBT people in all counties within Michigan. Some people have abusive or very unsupportive parents who would get upset if they found out their sexual orientation or gender identity. The community groups that we would enact would keep their presence discreet unless it is interfering with other important work. The groups would meet in a private location 2-3 times per week and would cover many topics such as LGBT news, stories from others, encouragement, history, and more. The groups would be run by certified therapists, mental health professionals, or group facilitators, and information would not leave the room. With the current pandemic, it may be difficult for some people to meet up in person, so the group would be a combination of both in-person and zoom to ensure the safety of all members.
Statistic provided by Human Rights Campaign
LGBTQ+ Resources Around the U.S.
Although this is not an enacted policy in any state, there are many international LGBT resources for people to use. Many LGBT groups are through schools, usually a GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance). No law or policy is stating that a GSA is required in a school, but under the U.S. Department of Education, an open letter from the federal government states that “ public schools are legally required to allow students to start GSAs and schools must treat GSAs the same as any other clubs” (ACLU 6). With that being said, the student/students have to ask and start the GSA themselves, it is not already enacted. From my personal experience when we tried to start a GSA at Meridian Early College High School, our flyers got torn down, burned, flushed, and thrown at other people. A lot of this was recorded and posted onto Snapchat for all to see. Not many people joined and finding a spot to meet after school was difficult without interruption. We ended up dissolving the group after 2 meetings. We want to bring that back because after that incident, we had many people come up and say how nice it was that we were taking action on this issue in a school that has never addressed the issue themselves.
Here are a few nationally known resources to visit:
How Have These Groups Helped?
In cities around the world, more resources are becoming readily available as being LGBT is being more accepted by society. One example is at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. In February of 2021, they began to expand their LGBT+ resources to other areas around the campus. Marinette Campus CEO Cindy Bailey states that “We are the only community resource center available to serve Marinette, Menominee, and Oconto Counties, and during our short time, we have seen a large number of individuals and family members come through our doors and attend our events to find themselves accepted and part of a greater community” (Bodilly 6). In Midland, Michigan, The Compass Group of Family and Children's Services is also working to provide support. Amy McDonald, an outpatient therapist, states that "We're going to help them become their authentic selves and look at what that means. We're going to find education on healthy relationships and choices, connect them with other community resources, and we hope that they're going to have a little bit of fun and gain friendships” (Burkhart 7).
These groups do not fall short of their goal. They allow for those who feel excluded to feel included and valid. This is what we want to expand on as our civic engagement project. These groups are not everywhere, many of them are not well publicly known. If LGBT resources were more advertised and regulated within every county, more teens and adults would feel accepted and not have to hide their true selves.
We Are Michigan Connected Video
The Decision Makers (Letters Below)
DELTA DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES:
District #94: Rodney Wakeman ((517) 373-0837/RodneyWakeman@house.mi.gov)
District #95: Amos O'Neal ((517) 373-0152/AmosONeal@house.mi.gov)
District #96: Timothy Benson ((517) 373-0158/TimothyBeson@house.mi.gov)
District #98: Annette Glenn ((517) 373-1791/ AnnetteGlenn@house.mi.gov)
STATE SENATE REPRESENTATIVES:
#31: Kevin Daley (517-373-1777)
#32: Ken Horn ((517) 373-1760/SenKHorn@senate.michigan.gov)
#36: Jim Stamas ((517) 373-7946/SenJStamas@senate.michigan.gov)
Opposing Arguments
LGBT equality has been an issue for a long time. Leaving members of that community feeling depressed and alone. The issue remains that many religious views do not align with LGBT rights and believe it is a sin to be part of that community. According to thetrevorproject there is a community within the catholic church that are working towards equality for members of the LGBT community (LGBTQ+ Religion 2021). Also, many parents fail to understand that their child may not be “just going through a phase” and this could be a decision that impacts their life. Many parents make the mistake of trying to “convert” their child. According to a research paper by Caitlyn Ryan, parents supporting and accepting their child’s gender identity can strengthen their relationship and make the child happier (Ryan 2009). Another absurd issue is that some believe being raised in a LGBT household or around members of the community is bad for a child. Olivia Willis announced that discrimination of the LGBT community is what harms children of homosexual parents, not their parents (Willis 2017).
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/trvr_support_center/lgbtq-religion/
https://nccc.georgetown.edu/documents/LGBT_Brief.pdf
https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-10-23/marriage-debate-puts-kids-at-risk/9075384
Works Cited
Bodilly, S. (2021, February 25). UW-Green Bay expands LGBTQ+ services to Manitowoc and Sheboygan Campuses – Inside UW-Green Bay News. https://news.uwgb.edu. https://news.uwgb.edu/log-news/releases/02/25/uw-green-bay-expands-lgbtq-services-to-manitowoc-and-sheboygan-campuses-13-21/
Burkhart, C. (2018, January 30). Midland is home to the first Mid-Michigan LGBT support groups. Https://www.abc12.com. https://www.abc12.com/content/news/Midland-is-home-to-the-first-Mid-Michigan-LGBT-support-groups-471769273.html
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health (October, 2020) Healthy People. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from
www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-health
Starting a Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) in Your School. (2019, September 27). ACLU of Texas. https://www.aclutx.org/en/know-your-rights/starting-GSA-in-high-school#:%7E:text=The%20letter%20includes%20studies%20and,same%20as%20any%20other%20clubs.
The Trevor Project National Survey 2020. (2020). www.thetrevorproject.org. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2020/?section=Introduction