On the march to acceptance

Millennials might be the most enlightened generation on lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender issues, but local teens say they’re not done

Afew years back, a popular Tumblr screenshot began circulating on social media outlets around the internet. What began as a link to an article titled “Millennials Are ‘The Gayest’ Generation In History” went viral in response to comments users added to their reblogs, ranging from the humorous to genuinely proud.

One simply stated, “We made it.”

To some degree, they did. The article spoke to something that resonates within a society whose young people are more than twice as likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender than in previous generations. According to a 2015 survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, in a pool of more than 2,000 U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 35, “Seven percent of millennials identify as either lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.” A study released by Time magazine this year and conducted by the Harris Poll for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation found even higher numbers — reporting that of 2,000 adults age 18-34, 20 percent identified as LGBTQ , with the Q — meaning “queer” — often serving as an umbrella term for anyone whose sexual or gender identity falls somewhere on the spectrum of nonheterosexual and or noncisgender. (Cisgender refers to anyone who designates their gender identity as aligning with the sex they were assigned at birth.)

These numbers represent an astonishing jump in comparison to years past. For example, a 2011 analysis of the LGBT population within the United States by the Williams Institute, estimated that only 3.5 percent of adults identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and 0.3 percent as transgender. The contrast may speak to the growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and the generational divide in a willingness to self-identify as nonstraight or “noncis.”

But what is the reason for this, and what do local teens have to say about it?

“I think the society we live in is progressively getting more accepting of our community … young people are being taught how to be accepting,” said Kathryn Ice-Johnson, a 14-yearold visual arts major at the New Mexico School for the Arts. The freshman, who identifies as queer and is a member of the school’s QueerStraight Alliance, said this “has a lot to do with our understanding of mental health … studies have shown how bullying affects people.”

Nevertheless, there’s still progress to be made, as Ice-Johnson said. “Bullying is still a prominent thing in school.” And, she said, many students who identify as LGBTQ+ find themselves homeless because family members cannot accept them. Studies have shown that more than 40 percent of homeless youth are LGBTQ+, and a 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that, as of 2015, lesbian, gay and bisexual students were 140 percent more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to miss school because of safety concerns.

More shockingly, almost one-third of all lesbian, gay and bisexual youth have attempted suicide. And transgender individuals have been shown to attempt suicide at a rate of 41 percent, as opposed to the national average of 4.6 percent.

Delila Holston, an 18-year-old student from The University of New Mexico, believes the biggest strides to be made are within the school system. The psychology major and member of the New Mexico Gender and Sexuality Network’s Youth Council said, “With gender nonbinary and trans youth, their identities need to be recognized within the school system … whether that’s public or higher education.” (Holston identifies as “gender nonbinary and queer,” choosing to go by they-them pronouns rather than subscribe to the typical designation of she or he — a decision that can confuse some people.)

Both Holston and Ice-Johnson cite their involvement in alliances surrounding LGBTQ+ issues as major influences. “I’m learning just how diverse people’s identities can be and just how important these identities are to them,” Holston said. Ice-Johnson said that she has learned that there is strength in numbers. “At my old school, we didn’t have a [Queer-Straight Alliance]. My brother and I started one. … We became more comfortable reporting instances of bullying, and people became more accepting.”

And social media has helped. “I think, yes, social media has quite a big role in helping us become more active,” said Ice-Johnson. “Activism is a lot about spreading the word, and letting people know you’re making a difference. … Social media lets people be aware and understand what’s going on.”

“First and foremost, social media is a gateway for people to spark their interest,” said Holston. “It pushes people to realize this is an actual thing going on, rather than actually propagating [change]. People actually discover their identities [online]. … It pushes them to get involved in the community.”

Ice-Johnson sees taking political action for the LGBTQ+ community in this day and age as a torch-passing ceremony. Her generation, raised on social media, has learned to communicate about these issues and accept them in a very different setting than advocates from previous generations. “I think youth are more involved,” Ice-Johnston said. “Years ago, it was a lot more about the adults being able to speak up, and now that we’ve grown up with those adults, the youth are more involved.”

Still, that doesn’t negate the groundwork laid by older members of the queer and trans community. As posters blared in Santa Fe’s September pride march, “The First Pride Was A Riot.” This reference to the Stonewall riots, a series of Greenwich Village protests held in New York City in June 1969 in response to discrimination against the gay, lesbian and transgender community, speaks to the decades it has taken for more open dialogue and acceptance — not to mention a place where the once-familiar designations of what can define a gender or sexual identity are still changing.

Holston believes it’s up to today’s youth to help push for more change and acceptance.

“Despite the fact that we’re young and inexperienced, take us seriously,” Holston said. “These things are important to us.”