If you’re a member of the American LGBTQ community, chances are you at least know someone who was told some variation of “I’d rather have heard you were dead” after coming out as queer to their parents. It seems to be particularly common in conservative Christian communities.
On Thursday 20 April, Montana state representative Kerri Seekins-Crowe, a Republican, expressed essentially the same sentiment during a debate on a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors that represents yet another illustration of the authoritarian GOP’s intentions to control and oppress members of marginalised groups. On Friday, 28 April, Montana governor Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law, even though his queer child, David Gianforte, implored him not to.
During the floor debate, Seekins-Crowe was dismissive of the demonstrated fact that denial of gender-affirming care heightens the risk of suicide for trans youth. She spoke of a period when, she says, her own daughter was suicidal. “Someone once asked me, wouldn’t I just do anything to help save her? And I really had to think. And the answer was no,” she said.
