Trans People’s Rights, Gender Care Targeted By Bills In Several States
News outlets cover a long list of legal moves that target the ability of young trans people to access gender affirming care, play on sports teams, and access bathrooms. In North Dakota, 10 such bills were passed in just one day. But in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, signed an order protecting access to gender care.
AP:
Indiana, Idaho Governors Sign Bans On Gender-Affirming Care
Republican governors in Indiana and Idaho have signed into law bills banning gender-affirming care for minors, making those states the latest to restrict transgender health care as Republican-led legislatures continue to curb LGBTQ+ rights this year. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed legislation Wednesday that will prohibit transgender youth from accessing medication or surgeries that aid in transition and mandate those currently taking medication to stop by the end of the year. Idaho Gov. Brad Little had signed legislation Tuesday evening that criminalizes gender-affirming care for youth. (Rodgers, 4/6)
USA Today:
Kansas Enacts Transgender Athletes Ban Over Veto Of Gov. Laura Kelly
After years of failed efforts, Kansas legislators successfully enacted a bill to ban transgender athletes in women’s sports over the veto of Gov. Laura Kelly, joining 19 other states with similar measures. The Kansas Legislature on Wednesday voted to overide the Democratic governor's third veto in three years of a bill to ban transgender athletes and came a day after state lawmakers passed a 'bathroom bill.' (Bahl, Tidd and Ngyuen, 4/5)
NBC News:
North Dakota Advances Record-Setting 10 Anti-LGBTQ Bills In One Day, Advocates Say
North Dakota’s Legislature advanced 10 bills Tuesday that advocates say target the state’s LGBTQ community, setting a single-day record for such legislation, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group. The state Senate passed all 10 bills, which had already passed the House, on Monday. Eight of them are headed to Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, for either a signature or a veto. (Yurcaba, 4/5)
WUSF:
The Florida Senate Passes A Measure Blocking Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 27-12 mostly along party lines to pass the bill. Only Sen. Gayle Harrell joined Democrats in opposing the bill, which next go to the House, where it is expected to pass. The Florida Senate on Tuesday passed a plan that would bar doctors and other health care providers from offering transgender treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to minors. (Saunders, 4/5)
Anchorage Daily News:
Alaska Sen. Sullivan Signs Onto Republican Letter Criticizing Gender-Affirming Care
The March 29 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra from Sullivan, signed by 10 other Republican senators and four Republican U.S. House members, expresses concern that the HHS department is “encouraging medical providers, who should have the best interest of a child as their top priority, to perform ‘gender affirming care.’” The three-page letter calls gender-affirming care “far from proper healthcare” and suggests that the HHS department’s guidance on the treatments could be “ideologically motivated.” (Rogerson, 4/5)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Gender-Affirming Care Protected In New Jersey, Murphy Guarantees Protections For Trans, Non-Binary Health Care
A governor’s order this week made New Jersey a safe haven for people seeking gender-affirming health care. The order from Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, ensures access to health care that supports people whose gender identity doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth. This can include counseling, surgery, and hormone replacement therapy. (Laughlin, 4/5)
