South Dakota may become the first state to statutorily prohibit transgender students from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity, but others are on the march. Ten, to be specific, representing the most anti-trans session we've ever seen. Samantha Michaels reports:
An increasing number of kids are coming out as transgender at earlier ages, and lawmakers in at least 10 other states (highlighted in green in the map above) have introduced similar bills already this year. While they're not necessarily the first to do so—similar legislation was proposed in several states last year, as my colleagues Julia Lurie and Sam Brodey reported—momentum appears to be growing. "Certainly this legislative session has the most anti-trans bills we've seen," says Chase Strangio, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.
Naturally, the Republican National Committee is encouraging more states to jump on the target-trans-kids bandwagon.
All these legislators should be super proud of themselves for stoking the type of ridicule and derision that results in a disproportionate number of suicides among trans kids. Hopefully, they'll rest easy at night with that contribution to society. Blood on their hands, every one of 'em.