Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida Criminalizes Trans People's Use Of Gender-Aligned Public Bathrooms
The Hill: Florida Passes Transgender Bathroom Bill
The Florida legislature passed a bill Wednesday making it a crime for transgender people to use public restrooms that align with their gender identity. Under the bill, known as the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” individuals who use public restrooms or changing facilities that do not correspond with their sex assigned at birth could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor. (Shapero, 5/3)
NPR: Kansas, Montana And Tennessee Are Defining 'Sex' In State Code
Lawmakers in Montana, Tennessee and Kansas have voted in the past few weeks to narrowly define who is "female" and who is "male" in state law using such terms as "gametes," "ova," "sex chromosomes," "genitalia" and "immutable biological sex." The bills in Montana and Tennessee have passed the legislature and are headed to governors' desks. The Kansas bill, called the "women's bill of rights," was vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, but the Republican legislature was able to override her. (Ragar, Gainey and Conlon, 5/3)
Stateline: Wave Of Transgender Health Care Bans Has Roots In Past Debates
More than 40% of American adults know someone who is transgender, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center poll. Yet 46% of Americans favor making it illegal to provide minors with medical care supporting a gender transition. At least 37% of Americans favor investigating parents for child abuse if they assist a minor with medical care for a gender transition, while 36% are opposed, according to the poll. There is a wide partisan divide on the issue: Seventy-two percent of Republicans and only 26% of Democrats believed providing care to minors should be illegal, the poll found. (Giangreco, 5/4)
Meanwhile, in challenges to anti-trans laws and on protecting gender care access —
Des Moines Register: Students Protest LGBTQ, Education Bills At Ceremony With Kim Reynolds
Davenport West High School senior Clementine Springsteen had planned to quietly accept her Iowa Governor's Scholar certificate from Gov. Kim Reynolds on Sunday. But she couldn't stay quiet. Instead, Springsteen, who is a transgender woman, walked across the stage wearing a pink, white and light blue tie to represent the transgender flag, and pins that read "Trans Rights Are Human Rights" and "She Her" as she reached out to shake the hand of the governor and also Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg. (Hernandez, 5/2)
AP: Suit Targets Kentucky Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Youth
Several families on Wednesday challenged Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths, claiming the prohibition interferes with parental rights to seek established medical treatment for their children. (Schreiner, 5/3)
The Baltimore Sun: Gov. Wes Moore Signs Bills Ensuring Health Care Access For Women, Transgender Marylanders
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and leaders in the General Assembly signed several pieces of legislation Wednesday, with an emphasis on equity for all Marylanders and the guarantee that medical decisions remain between a patient and their physician. (Gaskill, 5/3)
Also —
The Hill: Expansion Of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Passes Florida Senate, Heads To DeSantis’s Desk
An expansion of the Florida law critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” passed the state Senate Wednesday and is on its way to the desk of GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it. In a 27-12 vote, the Florida Senate passed an expansion of the law that was put into effect last year in the state. (Lonas, 5/3)
The Wall Street Journal: Parents’ Rights Emerge As Issue In GOP Presidential Primary
Republican presidential hopefuls seeking to exploit disputes over the rights of parents are finding fertile ground in this suburban area where a debate over gender identity has triggered division in the state that starts the 2024 nomination process. (McCormick, 5/3)
