Happy Pride Month - 2022

By: Sam Barrett

Happy Pride Month! 

June has been declared LGBTQIA+ Pride Month for over 20 years now, and is a great time to show support to your local LGBTQIA+ community! Although we have come a long way since the first Pride celebration, we still have a long way to go. The LGBTQIA+ community still faces much discrimination in policies, healthcare, education, and more. With the possibility of Roe v. Wade overturning, it seems like we are taking a huge step backward. 

Roe v. Wade:

Roe v. Wade is not just about abortion; that is just the start. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, so many policies could follow. According to an article by The Hill, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito argues that abortion is “unmoored” from the constitutional text and is not deeply rooted in United States history. Also arguing that the Roe v. Wade decision held that abortion was a right to privacy, which is not explicitly stated in the Constitution. Melissa Murray, Frederick I., and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at New York University, told The Hill that many things are not written in the Constitution, which could lead to an unraveling of many rights, including marriage equality. 

“He [Alito] says that abortion is not deeply rooted in the history of the United States, but you could say that about quite a lot of things,” Murray said. 

Murray argues that Republicans will see other rights as “up for grabs,” which leaves the LGBTQIA+ community fearing their basic rights being taken from them. Not only that, but access to safe abortions is essential for this community. According to the same article from The Hill, LGBT patients often see Planned Parenthood as a safe space “because they know that they can walk into a health center and immediately feel seen, feel heard, and receive non-judgmental care.” 

However, with this new overturn, many LGBTQIA+ members feel scared about what is to come. With Planned Parenthood at risk, many LGBTQIA+ members will be forced to visit regular family physicians for all their needs. Transgender individuals are already reluctant to receive preventative and reproductive health care. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, about 50 percent of transgender men have delayed or avoided preventive care due to fear of discrimination or disrespect. According to The Hill, transgender teens, including those at risk for unintended pregnancy, are reluctant to go to a family planning clinic. 

Not only will LGBTQIA+ members struggle to find a safe place to go for basic medical treatment if the overturn were to happen, but the access to abortion is critical to parts of this community too. Carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term as a transgender and/or non-binary person can be very dysphoric and uncomfortable. If access to safe abortions is taken away, abortions won’t stop; safe ones will. Many people will travel to different states for the treatment they need, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community are at risk of being discriminated against or face barriers because of their identity. 

Indiana LGBTQIA+ Statistics: 

The Roe v. Wade overturn is not the only problem that the LGBTQIA+ community face. According to the Movement Advancement Project, only 4.5% of Hoosier adults identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and they make up only 5% of the workforce, with only 34% of them raising children. With such a small community here in Indiana, many LGBTQIA+ members still face discrimination, especially teens. Here are some statistics from Indiana’s Youth Institute: 

  • 71% or about 3 out of 4 LGBTQIA+ students in Indiana experienced at least one form of anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination at school during the past year (2021). 

  • 39% of Indiana LGBTQIA+ students and 73% of transgender students were unable to use the school bathroom aligned with their gender. 

  • 55% of Indiana’s transgender students and 31% of LGBTQIA+ students were prevented from using their chosen name or pronouns in school. 

  • Nationally, 35% of LGBTQIA+ youth, 45% of transgender, and 40% of questioning youth have seriously considered attempting suicide, compared to 13% of non-LGBTQIA+ youth. 

  • 22% of LGBTQIA+ youth, 29% of transgender youth, 32% of questioning youth, and 27% of LGBTQIA+ youth of color have attempted suicide, compared to 5% of non-LGBTQIA+ youth.  

  • 31% of transgender individuals in Indiana, who have seen a healthcare provider in the last year, shared they had at least one negative experience related to being transgender, such as verbal harassment, refusal of treatment, or having to teach the health care provider about transgender people to receive appropriate care. 

  • In Indiana, 16% of transgender individuals did not see a doctor when they needed to because of fear of being mistreated as a transgender person. 

  • 16% of LGBTQIA+ youth, 22% of transgender youth, and 17% of LGBTQIA+ youth of color are usually sleeping somewhere that is not the home of a parent or guardian, compared to 3% of non-LGBTQIA+ youth. 

  • LGBTQIA+ high school students are 2.2 times more likely to experience homelessness than heterosexual high school students, and transgender high school students are 9.2 times more likely to experience homelessness. 

  • 78% of LGBTQIA+ youth were removed or ran away from their foster placements due to hostility toward their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

The LGBTQIA+ community still faces a lot of discrimination, especially in school environments. We must work to change these statistics and embrace our LGBTQIA+ neighbors, friends, and family. Suppose you want to show support this Pride Month stop by any one of the events below. Events will be going on all month long, so check out the last link (IndyPride.org) to see them all!

Events for Pride Month: 

Community Support: 

If you are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, here are some great resources in Indiana and online: 

W4C