Reversal of Roe v. Wade shakes LGBTQ community
Jun. 29—Among the strong reactions to the overturning of Roe v. Wade is a growing fear amongst members of the LGBTQ community that their human rights are in jeopardy.
Local members of the community who are tuned in to the struggle over women's reproductive rights include Pastor Rick Danielson of Lockport United Church of Christ, an "open and affirming" place of worship, and Ron Piaseczny, president of Niagara Pride, a grassroots group whose mission is to create spaces where LGBTQ individuals and families can feel safe, secure and affirmed in their day to day lives.
One source of fear in the LGBTQ community comes from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's written opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization warning that the logic behind the overturning of Roe v. Wade could be applied to other court rulings that undergird rights such as marriage equality.
"It is understandably a concern," Danielson said, noting that he was involved in the fight for marriage equality in New York state. More than a dozen states had laws against same-sex consensual relationships until those laws were struck down by the Supreme Court, he observed, and now there's real fear that the court will return to the states the right to enact such laws again.
Piaseczny agreed, recalling that in the past, "states had homosexual criminal statutes on the books. Every state had an anti-sodomy law on the books and whether or not they were enforced, every state had them."
It's not just those laws, either, it's the sentiment behind them, even in New York, Piaseczny and Danielson both said.
"Last year was one of the deadliest year in terms of the attacks that happened on trans people and the number of incidences where we see bullying and harassment and physical attacks on the LGBTQ community are increasing," Piaseczny said. "So much so that it is not only from the perspective of physical harm being done to LGBTQ people, the mental and emotional weight that it places on LGBTQ people and youth is astronomical."
According to Piaseczny, the Trevor Project, a study on the mental health of LGBTQ youth, showed that every 45 seconds an LGBTQ youth between the ages of 15 and 21 will attempt suicide.
The fallout from Dobbs, which turned decisions about the legality of abortion back to the states, has Danielson very concerned for young people, he said.
"We hoped and said we fought for their rights, not just ours. If they take those rights away — which is unusual and odd for the Supreme Court, usually it's about expanding rights — when I think of that happening, I think of all the generations that are still coming up and if they were to roll back other rights ... it could affect generations."
In the end, it is up to the people to decide where the country is going, Danielson said.
"I urge people all the time to vote. It's a simple thing, but it's the most practical thing to do and I say that in my church," he said. "Figure out what you believe. Figure out your values as they align with scripture and the message of Jesus, and then vote to that, because that's the single most practical thing we can do," he said. "If we don't vote, if we don't participate in democracy, then we really have no right to say what has happened is without our participation."
