NH Outright posted flyers in Nashua and on social media targeting kids as young as 11. The flyers invite children to join a “support group for middle and high school LGBTQIA+ youth.” The QR code on the flyer links to a form that collects the child’s name, phone number, email address, pronouns, and “identities.”
Related: LGBTQ Org is Collecting Nashua Kids’ Private Information
In April, I saw this flyer posted at the Nashua Library, so I contacted Director Jennifer McCormack, copied the library trustees, and told her this flyer was inappropriately requesting private information from kids as young as 11, and the library should not have allowed it to be posted. Her response: “That flyer meets the eligibility criteria for posting on our bulletin board,” and she shared a link to the Nashua Library Bulletin Board Policy.
In my reply, I pointed out that the policy says, “The library reserves the right to refuse any bulletin board posting for any reason,” and I told her I feel bad for the parents who believe the library is a safe place for their middle school students. It’s cowardice. The library staff and trustees do not want to do anything that would harm their status as LGBTQ allies, even if it means lowering their standards for child safeguarding.
I contacted the NH Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission to complain about the flyer, and I contacted NH Outright. NH Outright never replied to me. Meanwhile, unknown to me, the NH Civil Rights Unit also contacted them. The NH AG referred my complaint to the NH Civil Rights Unit, which copied NH Outright on their response to me. The Civil Rights Unit rejected my complaint, but their correspondence with NH Outright appears to have triggered NH Outright to make changes.
On May 16, I checked the signup form and found that NH Outright had changed it. The form now has two options, one for children and one for parents, and the child’s option requests an adult’s contact information. It is a little better. At least now, there is a chance that the parents will be notified that their child is in contact with unknown people at NH Outright who want to talk to them about their sexuality and gender identity.
I am glad that my efforts resulted in a small improvement, but it is still very creepy that NH Outright is soliciting private information from “LGBTQIA+ youth” as young as 11, and the Nashua Library staff and trustees are fine with that, and so is the NH Civil Rights Unit.
Here is the current version of the form.
If you choose “Me! I’m a youth,” this is the next form it displays.
If you choose “A young person in my life,” this is the next form it displays.
