LGBTQ+ community connections following election
Coming up on the inauguration of a president-elect who calls for the prevention of “gender indoctrination” and “gender insanity,” many queer kids, especially those who are transgender, find themselves concerned for their futures and their present.
Although the focus of many of Donald Trump and his allies’ statements may be exclusive to trans people, it’s important to recognize that they act as a pillar of the greater LGBTQ+ community. Threats to one specific demographic are as important as those to the entire group.
“It feels weird,” said Max Harrison, a gay man and Hayes senior. “It’s weird to know that […] most people, generally speaking, [who] voted, voted for Donald Trump, considering a lot of his views on queer people.”
While the majority of bills and ideals being pushed forward under Trump and those aligned with him target transgender individuals, the rest of the community has good reason to feel threatened, both as an act of solidarity and as awareness of the warning signs.
Safety is one of the biggest concerns in regards to the new leadership in the country. As of 2024, safe states are in the minority in the U.S., and Ohio is not considered one of them.
“It’s pretty tough for a queer person to be in a community where you don’t know if you’re accepted or not,” sophomore Adelina Lopez-Wurth said.
However, that doesn’t mean that Central Ohio is entirely a hostile environment. Out of over 180 surveyed students at Hayes, nearly 100 identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Delaware itself is also home to a pride committee and several businesses that stand in support of the community.
This sort of action may be the reason that the majority of LGBTQ+ students who participated in the survey feel relatively comfortable in the community. However, this doesn’t mean that change isn’t still something that they look forward to.
Take Hayes senior Anna Mack, for example. Mack, self-professed to be “more politician than human” at 18, is a trans woman with plans to run for the Ohio House of Representatives in 2032.
“[I plan] to get Delaware, Ohio made into a sanctuary for trans [health],” Mack said. “So that people [would be] getting access to the care they need.”
Plans for the future are important in a time where so much can be uncertain, but what exists in the present is just as crucial.
Among many other invaluable and well-known resources, like The Trevor Project crisis helpline, LGBTQ+ people in the Columbus area can also find support with region-specific organizations.
TransOhio, aside from offering programming and supporting informative reaches about transgender issues, also offers applications for emergency funds for trans people in crisis and access to further resources. Kaleidoscope Youth Center, or KYC, offers a safe center in Columbus for all queer teens, as well as supporting all Ohio schools’ GSAs (Genders and Sexualities Alliance).
If these seem daunting or nonapplicable, the consistent resource for queer youth is, and likely always will be, their community. Finding other members, whether at school or in the wider community, are vital to creating a support system and a safe space within an increasingly hostile environment.
“I think it’s more important that as a community we just come together,” Lopez-Wurth said. “A lot of us tend to think that we should go into hiding or things like that; we should try to become people we aren’t. But I think if we become stronger together as a community, I think we could overcome anything.”
