My Gifted Life

First there’s a lot we can do to reduce the need for those services by teaching respect and understanding in the home and in school classes and assemblies. The Trevor Project’s statistics show starkly how bad things are for LGBTQ+ students even today.

We should endeavor to accommodate trans student’s needs in bathrooms and locker rooms without making them feel like social oddities or pariahs. It is time for those in public positions of authority to stand for the truth and not just for what their constituents want to hear. Leadership is about leading on occasion ya know.

It should be made clear that bullying isn’t about not taking everyday normal schoolhouse kid to kid grief but about systemic organized shaming and humiliation that can result in suicide and severe mental issues. Stop victim blaming.

Mental health in general, and not just for LGBTQ+ kids, has to be seen for what it is, medical treatment for an organic sickness that should have no more stigma than taking antibiotics. Until we fix this, we can have mental health services coming out our ears but the kids will stay away.