Community Behavioral Health Association: Anti-LGBTQ bills hurt vulnerable populations

CONCORD – The NH Community Behavioral Health Association, representing the state’s 10 community mental health centers including Lakes Region Mental Health Center, issued this statement recently in response to the governor’s actions on three anti-LGBTQ bills: HB 619, HB 1205 and HB 1312.

We are extremely disappointed that Governor Sununu has chosen to disregard the concerns of mental health and health care providers, businesses, educators, families and children by signing into law three harmful and unnecessary bills that target the LGBTQ community, especially LGBTQ youth.

The position of CBHA and the community mental health centers is that these pieces of legislation endanger the lives of children by targeting them for simply being who they are. We have emphasized since day one that the discussion alone around these anti-LGBTQ bills endangers the lives of some of our most vulnerable young people. Making these proposals part of the public discourse allows some individuals in our community to think that discrimination and harassment — and worse — of LGBTQ kids is somehow acceptable. Now that the language of these bills will be codified into NH law, that scenario becomes even more likely.

The chair of the NH suicide prevention council has reported increases in suicidality in specific populations, including veterans and the LGBTQ community. The overarching reason that suicide and suicidal ideation is more prevalent in our LGBTQ kids is not because they are LGBTQ: it’s because they are discriminated against, bullied, stigmatized and not accepted for who they are. Using an argument that this is causality – that being an LGBTQ kid makes one suicidal – is a poor attempt to divert the discussion from the real facts and simply blame the victim.

Regarding HB 1205, the blanket ban on some kids playing sports, CBHA sees this as unnecessary and inappropriate because Title IX provides guidance to schools and athletic associations to make their own policy decisions. Preventing one segment of our population – LGBTQ kids – from playing sports completely undermines the critical role that physical activity plays in enhancing mental health and building self-esteem. It is also cruel. Kids who want to play sports should be allowed to.

We regret that some in the legislature and now our chief executive have chosen to turn a blind eye to social justice and the facts about suicide and stigma. There will be disastrous consequences to these bills. We appeal to future elected officials to take action in the next legislative session to repeal laws that tarnish our state’s reputation, harm our young people, and diminish New Hampshire’s collective humanity.