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Our Fight for LGBTQ+ Youth

We’ve been working together for decades to make sure LGBTQ+ youth have the support and freedom they need to be themselves and thrive as part of their communities.

From establishing the right for gay students to enjoy Prom with their boyfriend or girlfriend like any other kid, to making sure transgender students can participate in school on the same terms as everyone else, GLAD – and you – have worked alongside inspiring LGBTQ+ young people to imagine and create a better world.

Now, with new waves of attacks against LGBTQ+ youth, we must continue to protect the vision we share for a safer and more free future.

With your support, GLAD is:

Fighting to protect access to established medical care that helps transgender youth survive and thrive.

This week, we asked the full 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to preserve a federal district court decision blocking Alabama’s ban on healthcare for transgender youth.

As GLAD’s Senior Director of Transgender and Queer Rights, Jennifer Levi said:

“Enforcement of Alabama’s criminal transgender healthcare ban will harm thousands of transgender adolescents across Alabama and will put Alabama parents in the excruciating position of not being able to get the medical care their children need to thrive. We will support these parents and their kids in pushing back against that dangerous reality on every level.”

Defending supportive school policies that enable trans youth and all students to learn and grow.

Today, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing an important case on whether schools can support transgender students even if some parents disagree. We submitted a friend of the court brief with the MA Superintendent’s Association, sharing research that shows positive school climates and trusted relationships with adults are critical to academic success for all students.

As Mary Bonauto, Senior Director of Civil Rights and Legal Strategies, said:

“When teachers and other educators acknowledge and respect students, including their requested names and pronouns, that creates the safety that allows brain development and learning to flourish while also meeting the requirement of equal educational opportunity. Parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education, but parents and students have navigated these and other issues before without a new constitutional mandate of disclosure and can do so today.”

Ensuring students can learn about themselves and the world around them without bans on important topics like LGBTQ+ identities, race, and racism.

Last month, GLAD and our partners asked a federal district court in New Hampshire to declare the state’s harmful “Banned Concepts” law unconstitutional.

As GLAD Attorney Chris Erchull said:

“Public school teachers work hard every day to ensure students can develop the knowledge and critical thinking skills they need to be successful and contribute to their communities. Teachers can’t do that effectively when they are subject to this vague law, with no guidance, that forces them to limit class discussions and avoid certain important topics altogether. LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and students with disabilities are being especially harmed, but the chilling effect of this law is doing a severe disservice to all students, when their teachers can’t ensure they gain a full, rich understanding of history and the people and world around them.”

With your help, GLAD will never stop working to support LGBTQ+ youth and secure a better future for all of us.