Less than a
month and a half into 2020, this state legislative session has seen unprecedented attacks on LGBTQ people, and an alarming focus
on bills that would harm trans youth.
Also
alarming: These bills, and the terminology used in them, use similar language and clearly come from a common
playbook.
Right now,
bills are pending in 10 states that
would criminalize life-saving, best practice medical care for trans youth,
putting government in the way of decisions that should be left up to the young
person, their parents, and their medical providers. Proponents of these bills repeat
similar lies about medical care, but these bills are opposed by all major
medical associations that just want to be sure all kids can get the health care
they need.
At the same
time, 16 states currently are
considering bills that would ban young trans athletes from participating in
athletic activities consistent with their gender (bills in Missouri and Idaho
have hearings this week). Some of the bills only exclude girls who are trans,
echoing language that was once used to keep cisgender women out of sports. Others also require
boys who are trans to participate solely on girls’ teams. Statewide scholastic
sports organizations typically regulate the terms of participation in sports to
ensure all youth can participate fairly. These bills would instead authorize
invasive medical examinations of young athletes, and would substitute a
categorical exclusion from school sports that doesn’t match up even with the
most stringent regulations governing elite competition like the Olympics.
And still, other
bills would allow all health care providers to refuse care based on religious
objections to trans people, or make it harder for schools to support trans
youth.
These bills —
and dozens of other anti-LGBTQ measures — are pending in states across the
country from Alaska to Florida. That’s not a coincidence. These efforts
are part of an orchestrated national campaign led by groups like Heritage
Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom, — who last week filed a lawsuit attacking trans student athletes — and the
Family Policy Alliance, to demonize trans youth and drive a wedge among supporters of LGBTQ equality. We
can’t let them succeed.
We know that
when young people are supported by their parents and communities, they thrive. Research
shows that transgender youth whose families support their gender identity have
a 52 percent decrease in suicidal thoughts, a 48 percent decrease in suicide
attempts, and significant increases in self-esteem and general health.
This isn’t
theoretical. The South Dakota Health & Human Services Committee voted last week
to kill
their bill restricting access to health care for trans youth. While a bill to
exclude trans kids from sports failed in committee in Alabama on February 13, the
sponsor has already scheduled it for another hearing next week. And that same
day, a House committee in Arizona just voted to move forward a bill that would
bar trans young people from participating in sports. Other legislatures are
poised to act soon.
In South
Dakota — trans youth, their parents, medical providers, business leaders, and
others spoke up and made it clear that these attacks will hurt young people and
the state. As is so often the case — the victory in protecting the rights of
transgender people belongs to the trans community.
But even
when these bills are defeated, the fact young people and their families have to
show up over and over before lawmakers and testify to try to stop these attacks
is itself harmful. Let’s fight back with these youth and the entire LGBTQ
community, and show our young people who are watching – and the orchestrated
movement attacking us – that trans kids have fierce allies and we won’t let
these bills pass.
Like Zaya
Wade said
last week, we only get one life. If we can’t be ourselves, how can we live?