by Katie Ng ‘25

Moms for Liberty protested against gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculums and books outside Gaithersburg High School recently. The parents protested because they believe gender-affirming care is “psuedo-scientic nonsense.” They also believe that “children cannot consent to puberty blockers’’ and have been challenging books that feature transgender characters. However, providing access to these medical services and books is necessary.

The Trevor Project reported in 2022 that “nearly 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth attempted suicide,” while the Endocrine Society noted that data show “gender-affirming care can be life-saving for a population with high suicide rates.” Essentially, being supportive of transgender youth who want to medically transition could help lower these statistics because gender-affirming care allows transgender youth to feel comfortable in their bodies, present the way they want to, and find inner peace. Banning books about gender is discriminatory and sends the idea that LGBTQ+ people are inferior. These parent activists should be tolerant of LGBTQ+ youth and allow adolescents to learn about gender identity and sexuality.