Republican-controlled legislatures are unleashing a wave of anti-trans bills targeting transgender children and youth.
Last Wednesday, the South Dakota House passed HB 1057, a bill that would make a doctor providing gender affirming care to transgender minors a crime – punishable by up to one year in jail and a maximum fine of $2,000 – regardless of parental consent.
Similar bills have been introduced in [4] states and counting. In [2] other states, bills have been introduced to ban trans children from participating in scholastic sports. Republicans in Florida are even going so far to repeal bans on conversion therapy.
The most repulsive tactic of this coordinated attack on trans youth is Republicans promoting their bigotry as “protecting children.”
These bills do not protect children. These bills put young transgender people’s lives in danger.
I wasn’t able to tell my family I was transgender until I was 20 years old. I didn’t have a doctor that even asked about my gender identity until I was 22. I can trace every major mental health issue in my early life back to being closeted.
The impact of having my identity hidden from the world that long has daily ramifications, many of which cisgender people may never understand.
And that’s fine. The truth is trans people don’t need everyone else to understand us. Our stories are far too complex and too varied to accurately describe in any generalized narrative. What we need is an acceptance of who we are and the ability to make our own decisions.
Transgender youth should be the only ones making decisions about their health in consultation with their physicians and their families.
Campaign Action
Gender affirming care saves lives. Trans youth who receive gender affirming care are less likely to experience suicidal ideation. Just the act of affirming a trans child in their identity reduces suicide rates. Something as simple as acceptance can save trans people’s lives.
The care for youth in question is primarily regarding puberty blockers, a reversible treatment that delays the onset of puberty.
Proponents of efforts to criminalize gender affirming care aren’t afraid that these youth will regret their treatment when they get older. They’re afraid that they won’t. They fear that affirming transgender people when we’re younger will help us accept ourselves and be accepted by others in society.
I remember the first time I got to interact with other trans people. I didn’t have words for myself yet. I even got mad, because I saw people living as themselves and I resented that I couldn’t do that too. But they made me believe I could. They saw me, they accepted me, and they guided me back to loving myself. By seeing them live in their truth, I learned to live in mine.
Republicans are targeting children to try to stop transgender people from freely existing in society. We must come together to stop these attacks, or they will do irreparable harm to young trans people across this country.
Protecting trans kids means protecting their right to determine their own journey. Protecting trans kids means providing them access to the best medical care available. Protecting trans kids requires us to listen to them, accept them, and support them. These bills are exactly what we need to protect trans kids from.