BALTIMORE — The celebration of pride in Howard County gets bigger every year.
Pride Month is both a month full of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, but also a reminder to spread awareness of the struggles the community faces, particularly mental health issues.
WJZ spoke with mental health experts about the case and how organizations in Howard County are working to improve the situation.
Last year, the county began the tradition of flying the Pride flag at government buildings, and an organization called Howard County Pride has organized a number of events.
CEO Alisha Tronetti says experiencing all of this at a younger age would have made a big difference.
“If I had seen the love, support and freedom to explore my identity in high school, I believe I would have experienced so much more and been more able to understand who I was during that critical time in adolescence,” Tronetti explained.
The ACLU has tracked more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year.
In its annual survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth, the Trevor Project reported that 90% of those surveyed said recent politics have negatively affected them, and 12% – more than one in 10 – have attempted suicide.
Kyle Kunkel, Certified Clinical Professional Counselor at Thriveworks in Glen Burnie
There are many stressors facing the LGBTQ+ community.
“As a marginalized community group, it’s really hard to have to repeatedly assert yourself to be who you are, and then to have to justify yourself to someone who has absolutely no impact on your life creates barriers,” Kunkel said. “It creates an awful lot of unnecessary stress.”
The Trevor Project survey also found that half of respondents who wanted mental health care did not receive it.
If you’re looking, Kunkel suggests reaching out to friends who are going through similar struggles.
“I really urge people to start with their own safety net. If I have friends who are going through something similar, does they have someone? Because it’s a cruel world out there,” Kunkel said.
This is why Howard County Pride works to be visible and ensure LGBTQ+ people know their community exists.
“That way they can have the conversation, understand they’re not alone in what they’re going through, learn from each other and make this journey a little easier,” Tronetti said.
Howard County Pride will be holding an event at Color Burst Park in Columbia on Sunday. Click here for more information.
