THE NUEVA CURRENT Loud and Proud

I. THE LEGISLATION

They come from Florida. Kansas. Texas. Virginia.

They are full of hate, politically charged, and incredibly damaging to queer people.

They are pieces of legislation—statewide bills that ban gender-affirming care for minors and even adults, prohibit trans people from using affirming bathrooms and playing on affirming sports teams, block queer content from being taught in schools, and more.

While anti-LGBTQ sentiment throughout the country has simmered for decades, legislation targeting the community has ramped up in recent years. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported at least 417 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced at the state level this year, more than twice the amount in 2022. Two hundred and eightythree of those bills target education, such as Florida’s 2022 “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits instruction about gender and sexuality in classrooms from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Lead Upper School Counselor and Queer Student Union (QSU) faculty co-advisor Aviva Jacobstein, who identifies as queer, was “unsurprised” at the recent proliferation of anti-LGBTQ laws.

“Anytime a group of people in an oppressed state come together to demand equality and change, there is often a backlash movement from those in power who don't want to give up their power,” said Jacobstein, who drew a similarity to the civil rights and women’s rights movements.

“For whatever reason, conservatives right now have fixated on trans rights and gender inclusion.”

LGBTQ youth are already at higher risk for suicide or mental health issues, said Jacobstein, who has worked as a clinical social worker for over 10 years with a specialty in queer youth. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, high school students who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual are more than four times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to those who are heterosexual. The new wave of national anti-LGBTQ sentiment could exacerbate this disparity and create an “unnecessary recipe for disaster,” according to Jacobstein.

“Like any marginalized identity category, you’re more likely to be met with resistance in your life,” she said. “It’s a snowball effect.”

For many, the bans on teaching queer topics in classrooms—such as “Don’t Say Gay”—are the most damaging.

“If teachers can’t talk about [these topics], isn’t that a violation of free speech?” Charlie V. H. ’23 said. “It’s harmful to

Next year, the StuCo program will undergo structural changes to provide more leadership opportunities for students.

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