INDIANAPOLIS — The ACLU of Indiana encouraged Hoosiers to advocate for the rights of those in the LGBTQ+ community Monday.
LGBTQ Day at the Statehouse gives people the opportunity to support a community that has long felt targeted. In recent years, many have been impacted by Indiana’s conservative laws. WISH TV reports that 45% of surveyed LGBTQ Hoosiers considered suicide in the last year alone.
Some attendees acknowledged that Monday’s event may not lead to immediate change. However, they hope that these displays of public support will one day convince lawmakers that things need to shift.
Emma Vosicky, executive director of GenderNexus, said some lawmakers communicate to LGBTQ+ individuals that they “should be ashamed” or “don’t have a right to exist.”
Earlier this month, Hoosier leaders discussed an education bill that would require many schools to let parents know if their child has made comments about changing their sexual identity, pronoun, name, or other identifiers. Many opposed to this bill feel that it could endanger students who do not have safe or supportive homes.