Reflections on the Equality Act

Content warning: This article centers around internal homophobia/transphobia and contains mentions of religious trauma and suicide.  Please read with caution.

​Following news on the Equality Act—a bill proposed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, for public purposes like workplace etiquette and education—feels almost like a dystopian plot point. 

This is federal legislation covering the bare minimum of respect and human decency that as of late 2021, hasn’t been passed.  The sheer amount of people that oppose it is disconcerting, as there should be no arguments against bigotry. 

However, focusing on just one potential impact of the Equality Act may provide some insight: it encourages inclusivity and LGBTQ+ curriculum in schools and eliminates the risk of being punished for it; and the importance of that should not be overlooked in regard to self-acceptance for queer youth.  A majority of factors standing in the way of self-acceptance branch off this black-and-white concept of natural v. unnatural, but we can work to dismantle this mindset through queer education.

Combating internal homophobia

​A common result of lack of education and/or representation is this “what’s wrong with me” mentality.  When figuring out their own queer identity, children that haven’t been exposed to LGBTQ+ identities often go through a process of uninformed self-exploration and recognition of qualities that deviate from what’s considered conventional.  Their identification of unfamiliar attraction or disconnect between their sex and gender identity places it in the category of “different, unnatural, bad”. 

This is an example of internal homophobia or overall self-directed hate that can develop even without outside factors because we as humans have been taught to fear the unknown. 

The development of these negative emotions directed towards their own identity can be eliminated early on by educating youth on queer identities.  It’s tremendously important to teach that there is nothing wrong with them, that being queer is not and should not be considered a flaw.

Preventing religious trauma

​The mentality discussed above is especially harmful in relation to religion.  While discussing this, it’s important to keep in mind that religion isn’t inherently “bad”, but that religion and homophobia tend to be intertwined, especially internally. 

There is a specific type of religious trauma that can be demonstrated through my personal experiences and internal thought processes but is also shown in a significant number of other cases.  Because my experiences involve Christianity, I cannot speak on other religions and the experiences that may come with those, but we can assume that they’re similar in this aspect. 

One of the appeals of religion is that it offers a god (as portrayed in scripture) who is unconditionally loving.  Circumstances surrounding a child’s queer identity often lead them to prayer, whether it be praying for acceptance, change in identity, or asking for certainty/clarity. 

If those requests aren’t met, many queer kids will conclude that a god who prides himself on loving everyone, no matter what, had decided they weren’t worth his help. 

I had followed that thought pipeline, as have many others.  After feeling abandoned, introspection revealed the one thing that I assumed would be cause enough to earn his apathy—my queer identity. 

This connection serves to strengthen the connection between religion and homophobia; however, education in the church won’t only serve to break that connection but will also immensely help a child’s self-acceptance.  The impact of even just one child hearing that their god doesn’t hate them should not be underestimated, something that can be achieved through education and representation that paints the LGBTQ+ community in a positive light.

Providing hope

The future is a concept that’s heavily explained, represented, and practically pushed onto youth.  They’re shown options on what it could look like.  LGBTQ+ education will extend those options to show not only queer futures but queer happiness as well.  As a child, I was unable to picture myself in a successful or happy future, something that led to suicidal ideations.  However, this changed after I discovered the possibility of transitioning, and I was then able to place hope in a queer future, in my future. 

Not only did this serve to provide means to a solution regarding dysphoria, but it alleviated hopelessness because I realized that it was possible for someone like me to find happiness being who they are.  Representing the LGBTQ+ community has this effect, showcasing a positive future not in spite of queer identities, but because of that. 

Children should be shown that girls can marry each other, that not everyone fits into a binary gender identity, that affection and identity can be expressed in many different ways, and that “unconventional” expression isn’t wrong.

Education, and representation that results from it, are incredibly important for queer youth.  The Human Rights Campaign has provided a way for you, the reader, to take action to help pass the Equality Act.  Text “Equality Act” to 472-472 to get in contact with your US Senator.  Together, we can raise self-acceptance, disprove false beliefs about the impact of being queer on a child’s “value” and, potentially, save lives.