Daniel Aronson

If my wife and I insisted on denying our child's identity as a non-binary trans teen, there's a better than average chance that our child would be dead or hospitalized today. Allowing a child to question their identity and get the support they need may save their life, whereas forcing a child to conform to the identity of their biological sex may put their life at risk. Narrow-minded, fear-based parenting that puts a child's life at risk should always be examined as possible cases of child abuse. A 2023 peer-reviewed study shows that "Transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) youth report more than four times greater rates of suicide attempts compared with their cisgender peers. Gender identity acceptance from others can reduce the risk for these youth." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9991447/ That study concludes: 'Interventions aimed at suicide prevention for TGNB youth should include efforts aimed at leveraging gender identity acceptance from supportive adults and peers in their lives." If a person's religious beliefs compel them to deny their child's gender identity or sexual orientation, let that be on their conscience. If they truly believe it's what God wants, then they surely are willing to suffer the emotional, psychological and legal consequences of their negligent parenting. They don't need legislation to absolve them of harming their child, nor should NH lawmakers create such legislation that would permit such harm. Believing that God will forgive them or even praise them for causing their child to suffer, those parents will certainly feel at peace after their child dies by suicide and those parents are paying the legal price in prison.