The Missouri Legislature recently passed SB 134, the “Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection 3 Act.” This bill now prevents any public school faculty from discussing gender or sexual identity with a student, unless they have permission from a parent and are a mental health care provider. A bill like this makes the choice for LGBTQ+ people to “come out” more difficult since they cannot speak about their own identity to as many people as before and may have to “come out” to their parents or guardians before they are ready. This not only puts them in physical danger but in mental health distress as well. Coming out should be something that is exciting and liberating for someone, and this bill not only stops them from being able to be open about their identity as a student but may force them to come out before they are ready as well.

This year alone, The Missouri 102nd General Assembly has proposed 27 bills restricting LGBTQ+ rights in the state house and senate — more than any other state. Bills like this are incredibly harmful to the mental health of LGBTQ+ individuals and have many negative side effects, and thus, Missouri legislation should not pass bills that are directly harmful to the mental wellbeing of their constituents, especially those that not only erase peoples’ identities but LGBTQ+ history, as well.

Several of these proposed Missouri bills — including the recently passed SB 134 – bear concerning similarities to the  ‘Don’t Say Gay Bills’ in Florida. Bills such as these directly target speaking about the LGBTQ+ community in educational settings and erase LGBTQ+ history even further. In addition, it neglects the identity of young students and prevents them from reaching out to a trusted person to help them feel more comfortable in being themselves and creates issues for LGBTQ+ people of all ages by denying them permission to speak freely about their identity.

Further proof that ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills are harmful can be found in a 2018 study, state laws that deny services to same-sex couples have been linked to a 46 percent increase in mental health distress among LGBTQ+ adults.

Additionally, The Trevor Project recently released a poll demonstrating that 85 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth — and 66 percent of all LGBTQ+ youth — said recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively impacted their mental health.

For members of the LGBTQ+ community, processing information regarding social and political issues like this can cause anxiety, lack of concentration, depression, and suicidal ideation. It is imperative that these individuals feel supported, even as our state legislature takes aim to remove  their basic freedoms.

Processing the negative effects of dehumanizing bills such as SB 134 can be a large challenge. Reach out to a trusted adult, friend, or mentor and get involved in activism and advocacy efforts in your community. Doing so can uplift young people affected by this issue. This way, allies can ensure they remain comfortable and safe.

PROMO is a powerful organization fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in Missouri, lobbying in Jefferson City. PROMO has helped take down 115 homophobic bills in the past five years, alongside The Center Project in Columbia and The Glo Center in Springfield, Mo. At MU, students may also get involved with the LGBTQ Resource Center, which is located in the basement of the Student Center.

This bill, and others like it, violate a student’s rights to privacy by forcing them to speak to their parents or guardians prior to speaking with school officials about being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. This could “out” young LGBTQ+ people to their parents or guardians before they are ready, which might prevent them from having the opportunity to speak to a school official in the first place. Those who prefer to stay in the closet with those conditions no longer have access to the necessary resources. Bill SB 134 is directly harmful to LGBTQ+ youth and it must be stopped in order to protect the future of Missouri and its youth.

Edited by Molly Gibbs | mgibbs@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Kyla Pehr and Grace Knight