*By Julie Barrett, Founder, Conservative Ladies of America
On Friday, March 15th, US Senators Laphonza Butler and Tina Smith introduced a new bill titled, the “Pride in Mental Health Act.” They claim this bill “would strengthen mental health and crisis intervention resources for at-risk LGBTQ+ youth.”
“Accessing mental health care and support has become increasingly difficult in nearly every state in the country,” said Senator Butler. “Barriers get even more difficult if you are a young person who lacks a supportive community or is fearful of being outed, harassed, or threatened. I am introducing the Pride in Mental Health Act to help equip LGBTQ+ youth with the resources to get the affirming and often life-saving care they need.”
The senator claims that there are increasing barriers in accessing mental health but fails to provide the data to substantiate this claim. Does she mean that access to cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers or even surgery is getting more difficult to access? Because certainly we have seen a number of states take action to protect children from these often irreversible drugs and surgeries.
In reading the press release from Senator Butler and dissecting the bill, this would provide additional funding for “gender affirming” services, disguised as “mental health care.” Let’s take a look:
“The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use (referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’), shall establish a program under which the Secretary will award grants to eligible entities to assess and improve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, non binary, intersex, and Two Spirit youth mental health and substance use outcomes.”
One of the pieces that really jumped out at me here is the “data collection” piece. Public schools use surveys as a means of data collection of students.
Abigail Shrier writes in her new book, Bad Therapy: “The pry into the most private details of teenage experimentation and family life: alcohol consumption, drug use, and sexual orientation, along with the de rigueur inquiry into race and gender identity. They ask kids whether they feel loved by their parents or supported by their schools, and a series of very specific questions on what types of self-harm they have tried.
School systems use the results to justify ever-increasing demands for mental health resources – i.e., more funding.” (source: National Association of School Psychologists, “Guidance for Measuring and Using School Climate Data”)
These surveys used to gather data are very intrusive and offer young, impressionable children ideas about sexual identity, gender, self harm and more. The surveys are ”leading” students to a desired response. Sadly, most of these surveys are administered by way of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
You’ll also notice that funds may not be used for any kind of “conversion therapy.” Conversion therapy today is basically anything that does not affirm whatever gender identity or sexual identity the child has claimed. Many democrat-controlled states have even outlawed anything other than complete affirmation which has caused good psychologists to leave the practice or relocate to a state where they are able to have real discussions with their child-patients.
According to this bill, “conversion therapy” is defined as: “means any practice or treatment by any person that seeks to change another individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender.”
The press release from Senator Butler references a study by The Trevor Project that claims 54% of LGBTQ youth experience mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, compared to 35% of “heterosexual” youth. The Trevor Project is responsible for helping democrat lawmakers write policy in states all across the country that allow minor children to have access to so-called “gender affirming care”, which has severe side effects and in many cases is irreversible. They also champion the “rights” of children to access these services without the inclusion of their parents, because “parents just don’t understand and they won’t accept you.”
According to this survey, students with gender affirming schools are less likely to be suicidal. Read: “schools must be gender affirming if you don’t want students to die.”
I thought this finding about legislation was very interesting. Students are worried about “anti-LGBTQ” legislation that may impact the ability to have sexual and gender identity discussions at school. It sounds to me like the groomers want parents, lawmakers and educators to believe that if they don’t push the “LGBTQ” agenda into schools, kids will have anxiety.
The push for mental health care in public (government) schools is a big priority across the country. Not just a push for services, but for heavy funding primarily. “Gender affirming care” is big business not just for “big pharma” and the “medical industrial complex”, but also for the “education industrial complex.” You’ve likely seen state level legislation for mental health funding in government schools. (*Conservative Ladies opposes such legislation because it takes away from the true purpose of education and often times parents are not included in the care and services provided to their child while at school.) It’s no surprise then that both Becky Pringle, head of the National Education Association and Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers have both weighed in in strong support of this bill.
“The mental health of our students is one of the most pressing issues facing us today. Students learn best when they are safe and supported — physically, mentally, and emotionally,” said Becky Pringle, a middle school science teacher who heads the 3-million-member NEA. “The Pride in Mental Health Act would unlock the vital resources desperately needed to address this urgent crisis and to support those students who are struggling with their mental health. At a time when extreme politicians are attacking our LGBTQ+ students and educators, the National Education Association is grateful for Senator Laphonza Butler and Senator Tina Smith for introducing this crucial legislation in the Senate.”
“Our LGBTQIA+ children face mental health challenges at a higher rate than their peers, often the target of bullying, discrimination, and horrible cruelty,” said Randi Weingarten, AFT President. “Too often, these challenges play out in our classrooms and our healthcare facilities, but educators and healthcare professionals find themselves strapped for the resources they need to provide meaningful support. While some elected officials target our LGBTQIA+ youth, Sens. Butler and Smith and Rep. Davids have chosen to provide real solutions and invest in accessible, affirming mental health and crisis intervention resources, which will be game-changing for all of us trying to support our kids,” said Randi Weingarten, AFT President.
Similar legislation to the Pride in Mental Health Act has been proposed in previous sessions, but I would predict, based on the legislation we’ve seen enacted to protect children and to keep education focused on academics, not to mention, Biden’s statement about Nex Benedict’s (the Oklahoma “transgender” teen) death being a suicide, this legislation could very likely move forward in the US Senate.
I’d also like to recommend a couple of really good books on this topic that will really help you understand what is going on with this “LGBTQ agenda”, especially in K12 education (notice, I didn’t say public – because it’s everywhere and in every state) and give you tools to have conversations with others about the dangers of mixing mental health care with education.
The Queering of the American Child by Logan Lancing and James Lindsay
We’ve Got Issues by Dr Phil McGraw
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