Trans youth (and in some places, even trans adults) having access to safe, age-appropriate, gender-affirming health care is one of the latest topics to incite fear, hysteria, and hate in Republicans. As we know when it comes to reproductive health (including abortion access), we should have safe, affordable health care and privacy in making decisions. But just like conservatives are attacking the autonomy of pregnant people and people who could become pregnant, they’re attacking the bodily autonomy of people who want gender-affirming health care. The hate and control all come from the same place.
Daily Kos has covered multiple Republican efforts at the state level to limit or ban access to lifesaving gender-affirming care, including, for example, it becoming a felony for physicians to provide such care to youth in Alabama, Ohio lawmakers seeking to ban even mental health care that’s trans-affirming for people under 18, and of course, efforts from the QAnon Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to ban access to gender-affirming care for youth, period.
One recent example comes to us out of Michigan, where State Rep. Ryan Berman introduced the evil HB 6454, which, in short, frames gender-affirming care as child abuse. The bill argues that anyone—whether physicians or parents—who “knowingly or intentionally consents to, obtains, or assists” with gender-affirming care can be subject to first-degree child abuse charges, which could result in literally going to jail—with a maximum penalty of a life sentence.
RELATED STORY: Fired substitute teacher in Georgia seems entirely shocked to see consequences for her actions
Campaign Action
Berman introduced the bill on Tuesday with the support of fellow Republican state representatives including Steve Carra, Steve Marino, Luke Meerman, and Beau LaFave.
In a phone call with The Hill on Tuesday, LaFave made his case by saying it’s “logically incoherent” to offer surgeries and prescriptions to people who are not yet old enough to have sex. He said people are “abusing” these young people and that people aren’t responsible enough to “smoke a cigarette” until they’re 21. (Obviously, there’s a lot that’s logically incorrect in there, to use LaFave’s own language, but I digress.)
Gender-affirming care is lifesaving care. Conservatives are absolutely fixated on the idea that young children are walking into the hospital and getting surgeries whenever they want, and that’s so far from reality it’s almost funny. In many, many cases, gender-affirming care comes in the form of mental health care. Hormones and puberty blockers, for example, can be popular routes depending on the individual’s age, needs, and desires. Surgeries are typically only available once you’re 18.
Regardless of all of that reality, Republicans have pushed similar anti-trans bills across the country, like a bill in Idaho that would sentence licensed medical providers who offer gender-affirming care to trans youth to life in prison. A candidate for school board elections in Florida called for physicians who provide such care to be hanged. This stuff is legitimately scary.
Studies show trans young people who receive gender-affirming care report a much-improved quality of life afterward and that trans folks who started hormones as teens report better mental health later when compared to their peers. We’ve also seen research that suggests trans youth report lower rates of suicidal ideation when their gender is affirmed. Again: This is lifesaving care.
With Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in office, I don’t think this bill has any chance of making it into law. But these bills are still insidious in that they give these extreme anti-trans views a sense of legitimacy and can potentially pull moderates further to the right. We also can’t rely on there always being a Democrat in office able to counter these discriminatory measures. That’s yet another reason it’s so important to keep voters engaged and active in all levels of government, including our state and location elections.
Democrats can build a blue wave if we get out every voter. Click here to find out all the ways you can help in the last days before Election Day.
Republicans have accelerated their attacks on our democracy in advance of the 2022 election. Help defend democracy by chipping in $5 to progressive grassroots orgs in battleground states.