LGBT Youth Allies provides news, commentary and resources for all who care about the rights, safety, and well-being of LGBT youth and their allies. Have a suggestion? Please send it along.
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Marriage Equality Momentum in the U.S. and Abroad
Posted on May 17, 2013
[See the end of this post for May 20 updates.]
In light of some recent encouraging poll numbers on marriage equality, I’ve updated a March 27 post that summarizes data from a series of 2013 surveys on the issue. You can find that update here: 2013 Polls: At Least Two Thirds of Young Americans Support Marriage Equality.
Of course, the recent good news on marriage hasn’t come only from the polls. Just this month, three states—Delaware, Minnesota, and Rhode Island—have enacted marriage-equality laws. Twelve states in total, plus D.C., have now approved same-sex marriage.
Click here for the Human Rights Campaign’s updated Marriage Equality Map.
Too Young to Be Straight?
Posted on May 15, 2013
As it becomes more common for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their allies to form gay-straight alliances (GSAs) in middle schools, some adults have reacted with confusion, consternation, or outrage, insisting that middle school students are too young to know their sexual orientation or at least too young to disclose it.
As discussed in an April post, for example, a member of Florida’s Lake County School Board recently questioned the sexual orientation of an openly bisexual eighth grader in his district who wanted to form a GSA, saying he could “not rationalize how” a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old could know she is bisexual. A local blog implicitly criticized the same young woman last week (without mentioning her name), remarking that “most 14 year old children do not discuss their sexuality in public.”
Are middle school students really too young to know or disclose their sexual orientation?
One way to approach the question is to consider the reactions adults have when children or young adolescents reveal romantic or even sexual interest in peers of a different sex. That’s the point of this post’s title.
Fresh Content Coming Soon
Posted on May 9, 2013
Gay-Straight Alliance Updates: Lake County, Polk County & Fort Worth
Posted on May 4, 2013
Updates about the triumphs & struggles of LGBT youth & their allies in Texas and Florida.
Read the full post
Updated Questions & Answers about the Boy Scouts’ Policy on Sexual Orientation
James Dale
The Boy Scouts’ National Council votes this week on proposed changes to the organization’s discriminatory membership policy regarding sexual orientation.
For an in-depth look at the issues, check out this newly updated post: The Boy Scouts’ Proposed Policy on Gays: Questions and Answers.
MK