To dig more into the specifics of these three bills, let’s start with SB 413. This particular bill seeks to ban discussions of LGBTQ+ people and histories in all grades (yes, including high school), in addition to the lack of privacy between students and families. This even applies to students requesting to use a bathroom that differs from their sex assigned at birth, pronoun usage, and even changes in their clothing and attire. Teachers will be kept in the closet, students will be afraid to speak up, and parents will be privy to whatever a brave young person does dare to share. It’s a nightmare.
The nightmare obviously relates to HB 1608, which seeks to ban discussions of gender identity and orientation through the third grade. Given that these bills were introduced on the same day, it’s fair to look at these as two attempts conservatives are making to see what they can get away with—if folks think the 12th grade is too old for the ban, for example, all of a sudden third grade feels like a reasonable compromise. Except it isn’t, because this shouldn’t be happening at all.
And if schools say Hey, we’re not doing this, period, parents would have the right to sue the school district for violating the law, per SB 354. This is another piece of legislation introduced this week that mandates schools tell parents if a student is expressing confusion or “conflicted” feelings about their identity or expression. Per the legislation, schools would need to tell parents about these changes within 10 days, as reported at LGBTQ+ outlet them.
Like anti-queer book bans being floated in other states, Indiana Republicans are trying to limit how LGBTQ+ books are in public libraries, essentially eliminating queer people and writers from the shelves. Similarly, Republicans are also working to whittle down opportunities for trans folks to update their IDs, which is both a records issue and a safety one.
These attacks are coordinated efforts to keep both adults and young people in the closet and away from living publicly and authentically. If students don't feel safe coming out at home—for fear of becoming homeless, abuse, retaliation, or any other reason—and don’t feel safe coming out to trusted adults at school, what are they supposed to do?
Sure, the internet and community spaces can be lifelines, but they can also be dangerous, especially if the person is not yet 18. Young people deserve safe, accessible care and support to be who they are and thrive as themselves. It’s incredibly damaging mentally and emotionally to be stuck in the closet, and we can’t be surprised if vulnerable queer kids lie, hide, or regress in order to cope with such despair and humiliation.
For example, trans youth already report disproportionately high levels of leaving school without a diploma and becoming unhoused. Those alone are very, very scary experiences that can have life-long effects. But we cannot fault young people for making these “choices” when they’re essentially forced into them. We need to support young people, not shove them into darkness.
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