LGBTQ youth in North Dakota are more likely to experience harm according to a study, local LGBTQ groups in Ohio expressed concerns for the future as Donald Trump as president, and the Supreme Court is hearing a case in Wisconsin regarding conversion therapy.
Study: LGBTQ Youth More Likely To Experience Harm
A study released by state health agencies showed that LGBTQ youth in North Dakota are at a higher risk of emotional, physical and sexual harm, according to KX News.
Research shows that LGBTQ youth are more prone to experiencing trauma, and they face bigger challenges finding access to food, housing and support.
Data also showed that a disproportionate number of LGBTQ youth struggling with suicidal thoughts or self-harm.
The report is intended to be a call to action for the state government, health officials said.
LGBTQ Community Braces For Second Trump Term
Official Inaugural Portrait of Donald Trump, via Wikimedia Commons.
Local LGBTQ support groups expressed concerns for the future as President Donald Trump took office this week, according to The Ohio Newsroom.
Trump has consistently used anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in his campaign ads and social media posts.
Dwayne Steward, executive director of LGBTQ rights organization Equality Ohio, said he worries about Trump’s normalization of homophobic actions.
"We have seen a huge increase of hate, harassment, discrimination, physical harassment and violence against the LGBT community since the election rhetoric and since the results have come in,” Steward said.
Other groups, like Rainbow Pioneers, an LGBTQ senior support group, worry they’ll have to hide their identities in public out of fear of harassment.
Supreme Court Weighs Upholding Conversion Therapy
Photo by Warren LeMay, via Wikimedia Commons.
The state Supreme Court is hearing arguments about whether a legislative committee’s rejection of a rule that would ban conversion therapy was unconstitutional.
Conversion therapy is a discredited practice that uses therapy to transition LGBTQ people to heterosexuality or traditional gender expectations. The practice is banned in 20 states and in multiple Wisconsin communities.
The provision banning it has been struck down twice by a Republican-controlled panel that oversees state agency regulations.
Fair Wisconsin, a statewide LGBTQ civil rights group, director Abigail Swetz said conversion therapy has been happening across the state, but data on how often is difficult to find. Swetz said implementing the ban would make it easier to access this data since the state would be able to intervene with licensed practitioners, but the practice wouldn’t be banned for religious institutions, according to Spectrum News.
The court, which has a liberal majority of 4-3, will also look into whether the panel has overstepped its authority by blocking numerous other regulations since Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has been in office.
The court is expected to issue a decision in the coming months.
