Because we have seen in President Trump’s administration, civil rights movements and LGBTQ history have been scrubbed from government websites. This inciting action has ignited new conversations across the country regarding the safety and civil rights of LGBTQ people in America. Unfortunately, Texas was instrumental in recently passing extreme age-verification laws. This has sounded the alarm on how these restrictions could impact the inclusion of LGBTQ content and education.
The Texas age-verification law HB 1181 was passed at the same time as a wave of legal restrictions specifically aimed at the LGBTQ community. These prohibitions have ranged from curbing public drag performances to outlawing gender-affirming care for minors. Activists have been sounding the alarm about laws such as HB 1181. They worry that these laws might classify non-pornographic, factual content about the LGBTQ community as “sexual material harmful to minors,” silencing vital conversations and education.
Eighteen states across the U.S. have already passed similar laws requiring age verification to access websites considered harmful to minors. To make matters worse, six other states are already gearing up to enact copycat legislation in the near future. The Human Rights Campaign recently announced a national state of emergency for LGBTQ Americans. They point to a sharp escalation in assaults on their freedoms.
In a controversial ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an application to block the Texas law prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors. The court ruled emphatically, siding 6-3 with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Only Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson indicated their disagreement in writing. Justice Clarence Thomas ruled that it’s within the states’ jurisdiction to mandate age verification. This authority allows states to keep sexually explicit content out of children’s reach.
Beyond pornography, the implications of these age-verification laws are vast. Activists express concern that basic sex education could be misclassified under these regulations, potentially hindering education for young people about healthy relationships and sexual health.
In a recent ruling, a federal judge found that a new Texas law banning public drag performances unconstitutional. This ruling highlights the way that LGBTQ rights in the state continue to face an uphill legal struggle. The Free Speech Coalition We’re bringing this lawsuit to challenge the Texas law’s requirement for websites to use age verification technology. They contend that these measures run afoul of free speech rights.
With these progressive developments in place, LGBTQ rights advocates have their eyes trained forward. Finally, they wanted to underscore how the current political climate has created a crisis of safety and visibility for their community. Age-verification laws and other legal hurdles serve to create a perfect storm of misinformation. This harmful misinformation only serves to further marginalize LGBTQ individuals.