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A2 u.s. news
Monday 9 January 2023
States target transgender health care in first bills of 2023

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM reintroduce some of the vide or recommend life-
Associated Press/Report for more drastic measures that altering surgeries that may
America didn't pass in previous ses- later be regretted," said
After a midterm election sions. the bill's sponsor, Republi-
and record flow of anti- Of the 35 anti-LGBTQ bills al- can state Rep. Jim Olsen.
transgender legislation ready introduced in Texas, "Performing irreversible pro-
last year, Republican state three would classify provid- cedures on young people
lawmakers this year are ing gender-affirming care can do irreparable harm to
zeroing in on questions of to minors as a form of child them mentally and physi-
bodily autonomy with new abuse, following a directive cally later in life."
proposals to limit gender- last year from Republican A similar bill pre-filed in
affirming health care and Gov. Greg Abbott that or- South Carolina, where Re-
abortion access. dered child welfare agents publicans control both
More than two dozen bills The Utah State Capitol is shown on Feb. 1, 2022, in Salt Lake City. to open abuse investiga- chambers, also requires
seeking to restrict trans- Associated Press tions into parents who let that trans adults older than
gender health care access have been filed in many and psychologists widely their children receive gen- 21 obtain referrals from
have been introduced of the same states and are consider "medically neces- der-affirming care. their doctor and a licensed
across 11 states — Kansas, expected in several others sary care." In Tennessee, the GOP- psychiatrist before they
Kentucky, Missouri, Mon- with GOP majorities. Erin Reed, a researcher controlled legislature an- can begin treatment.
tana, New Hampshire, Gender-affirming health who tracks transgender nounced after Election Cathy Renna, spokesper-
Oklahoma, South Carolina, care providers and parents legislation, said state- Day that its first priority son for the National LGBTQ
Tennessee, Texas, Utah and of trans youths are the pri- houses where Republicans would be to ban medical Task Force, said she views
Virginia — for the legislative mary targets of these bills, expanded their margins providers from altering a these bills as the product
sessions beginning in early many of which seek to in the midterms will likely child's hormones or per- of "a permissible climate
2023. Bills targeting other criminalize helping a trans double down on anti-trans forming surgeries that en- of hate," driven by disinfor-
facets of trans livelihood child obtain what doctors legislation this year and able them to present as a mation and fearmonger-
gender different from their ing, that made anti-LGBTQ
sex. The pre-filed bill would rhetoric more palatable in
replace present law with the years since former Pres-
more stringent restrictions. ident Donald Trump's elec-
The World Professional As- tion in 2016.
sociation for Transgender "We have politicians, ce-
Health said last year that lebrities and just folks in
teens experiencing gender our communities who
dysphoria can start taking were given permission un-
hormones at age 14 and der Trump to kind of pick
can have certain surgeries that scab and do and say
at ages 15 or 17. The group harmful things without con-
acknowledged potential sequence," Renna said.
risks but said it was unethi- "It unleashed a nightmare
cal to withhold early treat- Pandora's box of sexism,
ments, which can improve racism, homophobia, trans-
psychological well-being phobia, antisemitism."
and reduce suicide risk. "When you look at the last
Legislation pre-filed this few years," she said of the
week in Republican-con- LGBTQ community, "we
trolled Oklahoma, which feel like we're under attack
passed restrictions last year in a way that we have not
on trans participation in for decades."
sports and school bath- Meanwhile, Democrats in
room usage, seeks to ban some states are taking a
gender-affirming care for more aggressive approach
patients under age 26 and to transgender health pro-
block it from being covered tections.
under the state's Medicaid A new California law, ef-
program. fective as of Jan. 1, shields
"This is the worst anti-trans families of transgender
bill I have ever seen filed youth from criminal prose-
in any state," Reed said, cution if they travel to Cali-
noting that adult medical fornia for gender-affirming
transition bans were a "hy- health procedures, such as
pothetical escalation" until surgeries or hormone ther-
recently. apy, from states that ban
Another Oklahoma pro- such treatments for minors.
posal would prohibit distri- Making California a refuge
bution of public funds to for trans youth and their
organizations that provide parents, the law blocks out-
gender-affirming proce- of-state subpoenas and
dures to patients younger prohibits medical providers
than 21. from sharing information on
"It's irresponsible for any- gender-affirming care with
body in health care to pro- out-of-state entities.q