HANOVER, Pa. — On Saturday, people came to the Guthrie Memorial Library in Hanover for a forum on LGBTQ+ discrimination.
The event, hosted by the Hanover Area Diversity Alliance, featured a broad discussion about the people in the LGBTQ+ community and the struggles they face.
“This is an important thing that the community needs to understand," said Amanda Bonnett, the executive director of the Hanover Area Diversity Alliance. “LGBTQ people do exist in this community, but there’s a lot of stigmatisms against them.”
Across the Commonwealth, school districts have weighed in on policies that advocates believe would target LGBTQ+ youth.
In York County, the Red Lion and Southwestern school districts recently looked at bathroom restrictions for transgender students and pronoun policies.
“I’m an adult who doesn’t have any of the identities these kids are being excluded about. But if I’m stressed out about this, what must they feel like," said Kelly Lynch.
Lynch is a retired teacher who used to teach in the Southwestern School District. She believes that connecting with LGBTQ+ students can help them overcome some of their challenges.
"Acceptance is the most basic need that every single human being has," said Lynch. “If I can’t make you feel like I value you enough to teach you the material, how are you ever going to learn from me?”
Bonnett added that understanding these issues affects more than just LGBTQ+ individuals.
“It reaches out and beyond that community to everyone," said Bonnett. "And that’s what this is about.”