At the end of August, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors explicitly moved to support gender-affirming healthcare with their resolution regarding the subject. This means big things for the queer community in the county.
LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer/question, intersex, asexual/aromantic/agender, and the plus represents all other identities. While there are great things happening locally, at the national level, the future doesn’t look so bright for the LGBTQIA+ community. There are 567 anti-trans bills and 359 active bills across the US. These bills target everything from where a trans person can use the restroom, to the safety students have against being outed to their parents.
With these types of laws in place, it is becoming more and more critical that the LGBTQIA+ community receives positive support rather than constant attacks on their lives. Board president Susan Ellenberg reported, “The County of Santa Clara will not sit around on our collective hands while fear-mongering and legislative bullying around gender-affirming care slithers around the country. These policies inflict direct harm on our children, their families, and their future.” When compared to the hostility and lack of empathy for the LGBTQIA+ community in other states and even in the federal government, Santa Clara County is taking a huge step in the right direction. Providing support for the LGBTQIA+ community is crucial for people to thrive. Receiving support regarding healthcare is even more important when it comes to LGBTQIA+ students and teens.
In Santa Clara Unified School District, there are several steps being taken to protect students who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Dr. Brenda Carillo, Director of Student Services for the district, stated that, “They know from research and practice that LGBTQIA+ individuals experience many barriers related to their physical, mental, and behavioral health needs. For our students, ensuring that these basic needs are met is fundamental to feeling safe, included, engaged, and having a sense of belonging.” Dr. Carillo reported about the ways the district is working with members of the community to create a safe environment for all students: “at the September 8 board meeting, the board of trustees approved Administrative Regulation 5145.3, which expanded language and protections for our LGBTQIA+ students. The adopted language was drafted by our LGBTQIA+ Committee, made up of students, parents, staff, and the board of trustees, to better articulate the rights and protections of queer students. To ensure greater understanding and awareness of LGBTQIA+ needs, the district is continuing its partnership with Gender Spectrum (an organization working to create a gender-inclusive world for all kids and youth), to provide professional learning to staff across the district.” This policy makes information like the district nondiscrimination policy and the definition of sex discrimination and harassment, publicly available and easy to access.
SCUSD also works to ensure that students part of the LGBTQIA+ community have access to resources and services that are inclusive and designed for them. Dr. Carillo reported that “Several GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) clubs currently exist on various sites and more may be developed over the course of this school year with the support of community partners, such as LGBTQ Youth Space and The Q Corner. Our Wellness Coordinators and counselors are also trained to support mental health and safety issues that may arise for our queer-identifying students, whether that be navigating their own identity in a safe space, or trying to connect with supportive staff on campus.” Even on the Wilcox campus, there are resources and clubs available to students part of the LGBTQIA+ community. The Gender and Sexuality Minorities Alliance (GSMA) meets every Wednesday in room s-115. Oliver Tracy and Finn Gore (both seniors at Wilcox), two members of the GSMA club, were asked how they think this new resolution and policy will impact the LGBTQIA+ community and students. Gore stated that the impact would be positive because seeing people fighting for the safety of queer people brings hope. Tracy said that seeing others receive gender-affirming healthcare offers hope for him too, even though there are limitations to what people under 18 can do. Tracy also commented that he believes there is always room for improvement when it comes to laws around LGBTQIA+ youth because when something gets better in one area, something usually gets worse in another.
Santa Clara County has made a big step in helping the LGBTQIA+ community, but there will always be room for improvement, especially when it comes to the rights and safety of the community.
