Outing policies being passed by school districts will cause more more harm than good; not all parents are safe.
First off, in my own experience, the only reason most children would come out to teachers before their own parents is if they have a reason to feel unsafe coming out to their parents. So, with that being said, just the act of a child coming out to a teacher should be concern enough for the school to find out why the child would not have told their parents first before making decisions that could negatively impact their entire lives.
I am a survivor of horrific abuse from parents who in no way, shape, or form should have known anything about my gender identity or sexuality as a child. I don't believe you are concerned for the safety of children, because that same energy isn't being put forth for their safety from extreme religious abuse that they may face at home after you out them, now is it? In my opinion, from the rhetoric you all spew (the same hateful rhetoric I heard my entire life as I was being physically and emotionally abused), you are hoping for that abuse to set these kids straight; figuratively and literally, I might add. So, let me give you some examples of what YOU may be putting children through with these sick-ass policies you are implementing or trying to implement.
Fundamentalist religions or even individuals following fundamentalist ideas believe their children are possessed by demons when they aren't cisgender and/or straight; they literally believe this about their kids. They will do exorcisms, beat, and torture their own children to get rid of those demons. They will make children believe that those demons are in them or are trying to get into them every day and that it is the child's fault these demons are trying to get into them and into their home to harm the rest of their family. Those children will be locked up in a closet or their rooms to pray for hours or made to walk around the house reading from the bible and begging god to take these evils from them so that they don't bring any more evil (demons) into the home. Horrific beatings will happen regularly to try and remove evil spirits from the child - you know spare the rod, spoil the child - yeah, it's taken very literally. This is what you are condemning these children to grow up in and with. You are condemning them to a life of trauma and PTSD that they may or may not be able to make it out of alive, and that is the cold hard truth! I have had to grow up with that trauma, PTSD, and other extreme mental health issues because of the sick, twisted, horrifying abuse I had to endure as a child of homophobic, racist, bigoted, Christian nationalist, fundamentalist parents. With these policies, you are sending some of these children home to unimaginable acts of violence for just being who they are; maybe you should think about that instead of continuing to fuel hate disguised as love.
Angela May
The MultifariousMind
1
1
