Bans On Gender-Affirming Care Advance; Ind. Targets Kinsey Institute
AP reports Indiana lawmakers advanced a bill that would ban "all gender-affirming care" in the state, in a move opponents say targets trans people. CBS News says a bill in Texas would also ban nearly all gender care. And in Indiana, lawmakers moved to block state funding for the Kinsey Institute.
AP:
Indiana Lawmakers Advance Ban On All Gender-Affirming Care
In Indiana, Wednesday’s Senate bill is the second approved this week that opponents say targets trans people. Residents shared testimony, their voices often shaking in anger or getting choked up with tears, as protesters cheered with joy outside the Senate chambers. A similarly enthusiastic crowd chanted outside House chambers Monday after lawmakers advanced a bill in committee that would require public school teachers to divulge students’ social transitions or pronoun changes to parents. (Rodgers, 2/22)
CBS News:
Texas Bill Would Ban Nearly All Gender-Affirming Care, Including For Trans Adults
A bill introduced in the Texas Senate is triggering alarm among LGBTQ+ advocates in the state, who say it would make nearly all gender-affirming health care illegal, including both surgical and nonsurgical treatments — even for trans adults. "While we've seen several bills that would criminalize life-saving health care for trans people, none go as far as this," Rachel Hill, the government affairs director at the advocacy organization Equality Texas, told CBS News. (Mandler, 2/22)
AP:
Georgia Lawmakers Push Partial Ban On Gender-Affirming Care
Senate Bill 140 was passed on a 10-4 vote Wednesday by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. It would ban most sex reassignment surgeries and hormone replacement therapies. However, unlike laws adopted in some other states, it would still allow doctors to prescribe medicines to block puberty. (Amy, 2/22)
Meanwhile, Indiana lawmakers take aim at a famous sex research institute —
AP:
Indiana Lawmakers Back Defunding Kinsey Sex Institute
Indiana Republican lawmakers voted Wednesday to prohibit Indiana University from using any state money to support its sexual research institution after a far-right legislator unleashed disputed allegations of child exploitation by its founder and famed mid-20th century researcher Alfred Kinsey. The Indiana House voted 53-34 to block state funding toward the Kinsey Institute that has long faced criticism from conservatives for its ongoing research and the legacy of Kinsey’s work that they blame for contributing to liberalized sexual morals, including more acceptance of homosexuality and pornography. (Davies, 2/22)
