Suffocated Queer teens watch as their rights are stripped away across the nation
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recognizable by name — the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” bill being a particularly well-known one. Other notable efforts include Texas Governor Greg Abbot’s labeling of gender-affirming care as child abuse, nationwide targeting against transgender athletes, Texas’s banning of LGBTQ-related books, and much more. California in particular has been relatively immune to this trend so far, among other states such as Oregon, New York, and Montana, but still, Palo Alto High School’s LGBTQ teens watch these bills from afar with a sense of helplessness.
new Louisiana law prohibits transgender women from competing in K-12 and college women’s sports. A new Tennessee law allows teachers to not use their students’ preferred pronouns. A new Arizona law punishes teachers for protecting student confidentiality Trans athletics These laws have particular targeted around certain issues, like a student comtransgender stuing out as queer and not wanting “It’s sad to see people put dent athletes in states like Arkanto tell their parup this facade that it’s to sas, Michigan, ents. A new Flor- protect ‘women and girls’ Missouri, Louisiana, and more. ida law restricts c o n v e r s a - when it’s really just harm- Nonbinary Paly athletes Mars tion around ing young athletes.” Bau and NaL G B T Q topics in the — NATHANIEL IBUYAN, nonbinary Paly thaniel Ibuyan athlete (both use they/ classroom. them pronouns) This constant stream of legislation spoke to Anthro Magazine about their may seem like white noise thoughts on the targeting of transgender to much of America, but athletes. Ibuyan said they believe a lot of to LGBTQ community, it serves as a reminder of people who are against transgender athoverwhelming efforts to letes playing on their preferred teams are disguising discrimination as fairness. dismantle rights. “It’s really about control and disNearly 240 anti-LGBTQ laws were crimination,” Ibuyan said. “It’s sad to introduced in the see people put up this facade that it’s to United States in the protect ‘women and girls’ when it’s really first three months just harming young athletes.” Though Ibuyan said the wave of of 2022 alone, according to laws has been upsetting, they said tarNBC, a stark geting of transgender athletes has been increase from happening for a while. “I think that the laws banning trans the 41 in 2018. Some are athletes isn’t unprecedented at all,” Ibuy-
10 May 2022
