There are so many problems today. War and humanitarian catastrophes in the Middle East and Africa, plastic pollution, climate change and immigration issues are just a few.
Being gay or transgender is not a problem. However, most conservative lawmakers seem to think it is. We are witnessing an abundance of inflammatory rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation directed at our gay and transgender friends.
Nationwide, the number of bills affecting them is approaching 500 this year. This homophobic and transphobic language is causing real harm. Many people within the LGBTQ+ community report feeling threatened and anxious about their safety and well-being. Depression and suicide are on the rise.
The recent deaths of Nex Benedict and Ashton Clatterbuck are stark examples of how young transgender lives have been lost due to this current climate. My heart breaks for them, their families and the entire LGBTQ+ community.
Being gay, transgender or any other member of the rainbow of LGBTQ+ folk is something to celebrate. It demonstrates that you have completed the journey of finding yourself and knowing who you truly are. It involves loving yourself and extending your love to another human being, no matter what gender they are.
This is no small task. As E.E. Cummings once wrote: “To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”
We hope you never stop fighting.
Margie Hall
Warwick Township
Editor’s note: This letter mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, contact the following organizations:
— National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
— Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline via TTY at 800-799-4889.
— Lancaster Crisis Intervention, 717-394-2631.
— If you are LGBTQ+: thetrevorproject.org/get-help.
— Veterans who are in crisis can call the toll-free Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and then pressing 1, by texting to 838255, or chatting online (lanc.news/help4vets). This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are confidential.
