Home Political News Law Or No, Trans Bill’s Impact Ripples Through Indiana’s LGBTQ Community

Law Or No, Trans Bill’s Impact Ripples Through Indiana’s LGBTQ Community

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Law Or No, Trans Bill’s Impact Ripples Through Indiana’s LGBTQ Community

  • By Maddie Alexander, TheStatehouseFile.com
  • Updated
  • INDIANAPOLIS— With Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoing the trans athlete bill and House Speaker Rep. Todd Huston promising a vote to override the veto on May 24, some in the LGBTQ community are saying it will have a lasting effect no matter what.

House Bill 1041 prohibits trans girls from competing in K-12 sports teams.

“I think it’s good that Holcomb did not sign the bill; however, I didn’t agree with his thoughts and his comments about why he agreed with the motives behind the bill and that he didn’t sign it for other reasons,” said Erica Cox, a transgender woman who works for the Damien Center and has a master’s degree in social work from Indiana University. She spoke on behalf of herself and not her employer.
Cox was formerly a baseball coach at a youth baseball league for five years. She has two kids; her son was very involved in sports and won four football state championships at Cathedral High School. Cox transitioned later in life after raising her children.
“We have this vigilante mentality where folks feel empowered to take problems into their own hands for problems that don’t even exist,” she said. “I think it will be helpful if Indiana can get out of this mindset. We should get back to fact-based decision making when it comes to trans and nonbinary people.”
LGBTQ youth experience depression at six times the rate of other teens. This is something that those in opposition to the bill think will continue to increase.
“The point of the bill isn’t really about trans kids and fairness in sports. It’s about ostracizing and excluding trans kids and making closeted kids scared to come out,” said Connie Thompson, a transgender Hoosier who came to the Statehouse in opposition to the bill.

“It’s so harmful for mental health because it is a question that is up for debate in the first place. We are constantly having to defend our rights, and it shows that this is a system in which mental health can’t even be supported in the beginning.”

Cox agreed: “I lead a support group with trans and nonbinary folk, and what I’m hearing from them is kind of what I’m feeling myself. It’s as if people are using trans and nonbinary folk to promote political agendas.

“Trans people have been literally demonized. It’s dehumanizing. We are all human beings. When folks are demonized, their lives are not as important.”

According to a youth.gov study, “suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth ages 15 to 24, and LGBT youth are more likely to attempt suicide than their peers.” Similarly, The Trevor Project found that “42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.”

To combat these statistics, The Trevor Project runs a TrevorChat and TrevorText at 1-866-488-7386 for those in mental health distress.

Another option is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAHMSA), which offers a National Helpline for people in crisis, including those in the LGBTQ community. The SAHMSA National Helpline number is 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Hannah Collins, senior marketing and communications manager for SAMHSA, described the helpline as a “confidential emotional support and crisis counseling to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the United States.”

“The Lifeline is a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, uniting local resources with national standards and best practices,” she said.

For more LGBTQ-specific resources, go to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

FOOTNOTE:  Maddie Alexander is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. 

 

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1 COMMENT

  1. What is a “transgender woman”? Isn’t this person a woman, so, why is it necessary to be labeled with a descriptive word?

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