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Aired Apr 21, 2022

The GLSEN National Day of Silence

As states, like Florida, consider “Don’t Say Gay (and lesbian, and bisexual, and trans, and queer)” bills the GLSEN National Day of Silence feels as significant as ever. LGBTQ+ youth need to know that there are supportive allies willing to take part in a student-led action to protest discrimination. This episode of Something To Talk About Live, we will be discussing Teresitta Velez’s  article in AAP Voices, “Say Gay – The Lives of LGBTQ Youth Depend on It” with Deborah Levine, Director of LGBTQ Youthlink at CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers.

Something to Talk About Live is a series designed by PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality program to create conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. Each week we offer an article on LGBTQ+ topics and suggest a few questions you can use to lead a discussion with your ERG, community group, or PFLAG chapter.

We hosted a conversation about this article as a part of PFLAG Connects and Something to Talk About Live on Thursday, April 21. Did you miss it? You can still watch it here!  

Article: Say Gay – The Lives of LGBTQ Youth Depend on It

Source: AAP Voices

Author: Teresitta Velez

Questions for Discussion: 

  1. This article notes that Texas Children’s Hospital has already halted gender-affirming treatment. What impact do you think that will have on LGBTQ+ youth? Do you think the effect will go beyond the state of Texas?

  2. Research consistently shows that LGBTQ+ youth who have access to support are much less likely to experience distress, victimization, and suicidal ideation. With that in mind, why does legislation that removes those supports continue to be introduced in state legislatures and passed into law?

  3. What can parents, allies, and other PFLAG members do to create safe spaces in schools, doctor’s offices, and elsewhere? What can they do to help LGBTQ+ youth access safe spaces in states where they are actively being taken away?

Bonus read: Check out “Beyond ‘Don’t Say Gay’: Other States Seek to Limit LGBTQ Youth, Teaching” which appeared in Education Week by Stephen Sawchuk. You can also access the research that Dr. Velez cites in the article from the Journal of Adolescent Research and The Trevor Project.

About Our Guests:

Deborah Levine, Director of LGBTQ Youthlink, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

Ways to Watch:

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