This commentary is by Kate Bailey of South Burlington, who is in her first term as one of five elected School Board Directors in South Burlington.

We are only halfway into 2023, and more anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in statehouses this year than in any of the previous five years, according to the Human Rights Campaign. 

More than 125 bills would block access to age-appropriate, medically necessary, best-practice health care for trans youth; more than 45 bills would ban trans students from playing school sports; many more bills erase queer and trans representation in curriculum. 

I joined the South Burlington School Board in 2022 because I believe deeply in public education as the foundation of freedom and democracy. I wanted to serve my community, and I feel that the perspective of a relatively young queer person deserves representation at this moment in education politics.

In just one year on the South Burlington Board of School Directors, I’ve seen the national moral panic around the rights of LGBTQ+ youth reach our local community. I’ve been asked my opinion on what type of stories should be read in classrooms, how we teach health class and sex-ed, and who has access to locker rooms and sports teams. Our queer and trans students are the latest targets in a culture war where there are no winners — only more isolation and pain. 

I know how it feels to have your identity under debate in the classroom. When I was a high school student, marriage equality was the political topic discussed nightly on cable news and around the kitchen table. In debate class around 2005, I was assigned to argue against gay marriage. I can still feel the wave of shame and the pit in my stomach that took over as I prepared for the debate by reading headlines and listening to speeches opposing LGBTQ+ rights. 

The debate wasn’t simply an academic exercise for me. As someone trying to figure out my own sexuality, the debate became about my self-worth. The debate put into question whether or not I was worthy of love. 

Senior year of high school, I started dating my best friend. We were both girls. We kept the relationship secret from friends and family, which meant that I missed out on sharing the joys that come with first love and the support needed for navigating a new relationship. 

It wasn’t until many years later that I finally felt safe to joyfully embrace being queer and bisexual. My own personal acceptance was aided by growing normalization and LGBTQ+ visibility nationwide.

My mental health suffered from the stress and shame I felt as a closeted young person, and my story is not unique. Anxiety, depression and poor mental health are now a crisis among Vermont youth, and students with historically oppressed identities are at higher risk. Most recent Vermont Department of Health data found that students of color were almost twice as likely to have attempted suicide in the last 12 months than white students, while LGBTQ+ students were more than three times as likely as other kids. 

Youth are paying attention. What messages do we want our young people to hear? The more we debate and place judgment, the more youth fear for their rights to love, to learn, and to simply live. 

Trans and queer people have always and will continue to exist, love, learn, and celebrate each other. 

I know the powerful impact of exploring one’s identity in a safe, affirming community. We all know that accepting and loving families, schools, and communities make all the difference for our kids. 

LGBTQ+ youth who feel high support from their family and school attempt suicide at less than half the rate of those who felt low or moderate social support. Queer and gender-affirming education, health care, and community support are literally lifesaving. 

How do we build a healthy community where everyone belongs? Listen to young people without fear or judgment. Practice new pronouns. Read queer books and remember that you don’t have to understand every nuance of gender and sexuality before offering respect and compassion. 

When your neighbors or your elected officials propose discriminatory bills, speak out to stop them. Celebrate trans kids when they bloom into the people they are.  

To the trans and queer students in my South Burlington community: I see you. I’m proud of you. You are loved, and your existence is beautiful. This is not up for debate.