Parental Bill of Rights may harm queer youth

On March 5, I attended a meeting for the House Health Finance and Policy Committee. I decided to attend because bill HF22 was on the agenda. HF22 is a proposed bill to establish a Parental Bill of Rights in Minnesota. The description given of the bill asserted that the goal is to “ensure fundamental rights of parents” to support, guide, and be involved in healthcare decisions of their minor children, aside from situations with legal exemption such as an emancipated minor.

During my testimony, I disclosed that I am a queer person, and that I was raised in a family who’s beliefs I do not share, and that because of this I had to keep my sexual orientation a secret from them. This was, in part, to ensure that I would not risk being in the worst case scenarios of getting kicked out or exposed to conversion therapy. I also took proactive measures to plan for if either of these situations did happen. I put conscious effort into making sure my friends’ parents liked me, in case I ever needed a couch to sleep on, and researched the process of becoming an emancipated minor in case the need ever arose.

I am currently getting my master's degree in clinical social work, and as a former LGBTQ+ youth as well as a future clinician, the potential for harm to queer youth this bill presents is deeply concerning. The unintended consequences of a bill like this would disproportionately affect queer youth, and in extreme cases could threaten their safety. In a less extreme scenario, this could result in an adolescent in need of mental health care services being afraid or unwilling to participate in the therapeutic process, resulting in them not getting the help they need. With statistics like LGBTQ+ youth being four times as likely to attempt suicide (https://thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/), considering them in discussions of the bill is extremely consequential.

Best regards,

Megan Beachem

North End