Project THRIVE is a multi-year national campaign of organizations that collaborate to create more equitable, inclusive support systems and communities for LGBTQ youth. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Youth Well-Being newsletter is a benefit to past Time to THRIVE attendees as well as current Project THRIVE members. This month’s newsletter features an online hatred report published by HRC, Time to THRIVE registration, an article from the Hechinger Report highlighting the impact of negativity, and HRC president, Kelley Robinson, speaking in front of the U.S. House of Representatives about hate speech.
Project THRIVE January Webinar
Join us on Thursday, January 26th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM EST for our monthly Project THRIVE webinar on LGBTQ+ youth. This month's webinar, " The Truth about Big Tobacco and LGBTQ+ Youth" will feature the Truth Initiative and be facilitated by Bryan Coleman, Director of Experiential Learning. This webinar will highlight the ways that "Big Tobacco" creates predatory ads that target marginalized youth and provide youth serving professionals with the skills to combat these campaigns.
In December, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation published a report showing how anti-equality, online extremists are leading a proactive and coordinated campaign of hate against hospitals and medical providers who offer gender-affirming care for transgender, non-binary and questioning youth.
Conservative extremists, such Chaya Raichik (the owner of LibsofTikTok) and Matt Walsh, are leading highly-organized campaigns that are spreading falsehoods about gender-affirming care and using violent rhetoric to encourage targeted attacks on providers.
HRC outlined a five part cycle of violence that ended with the halting of gender affirming care due to fear of real world violence. Demands for change are focused on social media platforms taking meaningful action before even more harm is done.
To read the article in its entirety, click here. To watch the supplemental video, click here or the image below.
Time to Thrive Registration
Time to THRIVE in the Deep South registration is now less than a month away! This conference will be held on Friday, February 3 (7pm-10pm ET) and Saturday, February 4, 2023, (7:30am-9:00pm ET). It will focus on Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida.
As part of HRC's commitment to maintaining a regional local focus for Time to THRIVE, those living and working in the target states will have priority registration, while those living and working outside the region will have limited registration.
Here is a snapshot of some workshops to expect:
Exploring Connections: The Intersections of Race, Gender, Gender Identity, & Sexual Orientation facilitated by the National Education Association
A workshop providing educators with an overview of race, gender, and sexual orientation and explores how the intersections of these and other social identities affect students.
Building Organizational Capacity for LGBTQ+ Inclusive Practices facilitated by HRC"s All Children-All Families department
Explore foundational concepts for supporting youth and adult clients with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and expression.
Creating Gender Inclusive Elementary Schools facilitated by HRC's Welcoming Schools department
Participants will learn important vocabulary around gender diversity and age appropriate ways to use this terminology with young students.
An article by the Hechinger Report highlighted the negative impact the constant barrage of Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation has had on college students. Many students have reported a decline in mental health due to the “negativity pile-up”
The good news is that despite higher rates of poor mental health and suicidal ideation as a result of discrimination and marginalization, all is not lost. According a recent study published by the Trevor Project in September, many LGBTQ+ students who had access to LGBTQ+ specific support services were less likely to consider or attempt suicide than students who did not have these resources. The world can be a cruel place, but with support we can create a brighter tomorrow.
ICYMI - HRC President at Hate Speech Committee Meeting
HRC President, Kelley Robinson, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee about the rise of anti-LGBTQ+ extremism and violence in the United States in the wake of the recent Club Q shooting.
At the hearing Robinson discussed the threats facing the LGBTQ+ community, including a rise in online harassment, anti-LGBTQ+ state legislation, threats of violence, and attacks on queer spaces and people, particularly Black and Brown transgender women. Robinson's testimony highlighted the importance of federal intervention and the role that stakeholders hold in making a difference. This hearing came just days after the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act.
To read the full press release or watch the testimony, click here.
Resource Bank
If you or a person you know is thinking about harming themselves or needs to talk to someone — get immediate support. Use this link to the Trevor Project to connect via chat or text or call 1-866-488-7386.
