September 6, 2016

Contributor: Derrick Petit, JD-MPA

Photo credit: www.action.aclu.org

In addition to providing a supportive environment for LGBTQ youth facing challenges and social stigmas, Safe Space, Inc. is also dedicated to preserving the rights of LGBTQ Americans in all areas. Similar marriage and the practice of consensual intimacy with an adult of one’s choosing, using facilities that correspond to one’s gender identity should be considered a basic human right. Safe Space, Inc. firmly opposes the efforts by North Carolina and any other state that seeks to take away the rights of LGBTQ Americans.

In Romer v. Evans,[1] Lawrence v. Texas,[2] United States v. Windsor,[3] and most recently Obergefell v. Hodges,[4] The Supreme Court of the United States repeatedly affirmed the rights of LGBTQ Americans to live and work as any other citizen, free of discriminatory restrictions. These restrictions are not only unconstitutional, but also lead to an “increased risk [of] suicidal thoughts and behaviors, suicide attempts, and suicide” in LGBTQ youth.[5]

Safe Space, Inc. joins with other LGBTQ advocacy organizations in demanding that North Carolina discontinues its efforts to hinder and prevent transgender students from using restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity.[6]

[1] Romer v. Evans, 517 U.S. 620 (1996).

[2] Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003).

[3] United States v. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013).

[4] Obergefell v. Hodges, 135 S. Ct. 2584 (2015).

[5] Susan Scutti, Transgender People More Likely To Develop Depression And Anxiety, Medical Daily (Jun 21, 2013, 04:56 PM), http://www.medicaldaily.com/transgender-people-more-likely-develop-depression-and-anxiety-247044.

[6] Stop State Leaders From Bullying Transgender Youth, ACLU Action, https://action.aclu.org/secure/stop-bullying-trans-youth?emsrc=Nat_Appeal_AutologinEnabled&emissue=LGBTrights&emtype=petition&ms=web_160906_LGBTrights_titleix&__af=query_string_encrypted (last visited Sept. 6, 2016).