This year's much anticipated "back to school" and pumpkin spice energy was dampened for LGBTQ+ families and their allies. We saw the enforcement of more than 30 new anti-LGBTQ+ education laws as students returned to school this year and it has ignited a passionate debate across the United States. These laws, often cloaked in the guise of protecting parental rights, deeply held traditions and values, or religious freedom, do so much harm to LGBTQ+ youth, their families, friends, and society as a whole.

Beyond the psychological toll, the laws undermine students' ability to express their congruent selves. Having their identities and experiences go unacknowledged in the classroom and the curriculum can be profoundly damaging to LGBTQ+ children and it not only affects their emotional well-being but also their overall developmental and academic success.