This is a really hot political topic right now, and I don't really understand why. Republicans are making a huge hairy deal about schools "hiding" kids' queer identities from parents. As if queer kids don't have a right to privacy, as if being queer is intrinsically harmful and that parents must be informed so they can take steps to prevent it – which, good luck with that.

Some states are going so far as to propose laws mandating that teachers inform parents if teachers learn a student identifies as LGBTQ.

Fox News is beating the drums, broadcasting and printing sensationalized stories about schools "keeping parents in the dark," supposedly interfering with their ability to parent.

I'll tell you this much, when I was a queer high school student, I possessed a healthy sense of privacy, and I didn't choose to talk about my queerness to almost anyone, knowing how much trouble it could get me in at home and in church.

I did talk to one teacher I trusted. And thank goodness for that.

I dread to think what might have happened if that teacher had been forced to inform my family.

The same can be said for students who come from conservative Christian families. It doesn't take overwhelming amounts of empathy and compassion to understand that the students would be greatly harmed if they were outed to their parents.